5776.1:
The smallest surface supported ferromagnetic nanostructure – synthesis, reading, and writing
Abstract
The future of magnetic information storage on hard disks or in MRAM's based on spin valves will critically depend upon our possibility to synthesize and individually address ferromagnetic entities which will be much smaller than the bulk superparamagnetic limit of about 10exp5 - 10exp6 atoms per bit. The first goal of our project is to synthesize via self-organized growth the smallest surface supported ferromagnetic nanostructure which retains its magnetic orientation at room temperature and possibly provides the bit unit in future high density magnetic storage applications. A second aim of the present project is to demonstrate individual reading of ferromagnetic units for densities of 10 Terra dots/in2 by means of spin-polarized STM. We also intend to individually write the magnetic units by injection of a spin polarized current from the tip of an STM.