Magnetoresistive nanojunctions fabricated via focused ion beam implantation

摘要

Focused ion beam (FIB) is used to implant Ga~+ ions into a 30-nm thick magnetoresistive element to effectively reduce the track width of the sensor from 1 μm to ～80 nm. Through magnetic recording industry-standard spinstand measurements, it is confirmed that a dose of ～10~3 ions/cm~2 at a 1-pA FIB current is sufficient to fully "de-activate" magnetism in the exposed side regions. To record tracks required for spinstand tests, a FIB-trimmed ring type write head is used.