Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Instituto de Física

Scaling relations and magnetic

properties of nanoparticles

José d’Albuquerque e Castro

PAN AMERICAN ADVANCED STUDIES INSTITUTE

Ultrafast and Ultrasmall; New Frontiers and AMO Physics
March 30 - April 11, 2008
 Magnetic storage media: thin films
⇒  polycrystalline alloys of Co, Cr, and Pt
with B or Ta
⇒  segregation of the non-magnetic elements:
reduction of the coupling between grains
⇒  grain size ≈ 10 nm

⇒  areal density: 50 Gbit in-2 ( year 2000)

Problem:
superparamagnetism limit
net magnetization 100 Gbit in-2
 Superparamagnetism

magnetic particle

energy barrier EB
 Superparamagnetism

magnetic particle

energy barrier EB
 Superparamagnetism

m ⇒  energy barrier for reversal: EB = KV

volume: V
net anisotropy: K

⇒  rate of switching: 1/τ = f0 exp(- EB/kT)

f0 ≅ 109 s-1

storage time ≈ 10 years ⇒ EB ~ 40 kT

 Patterned thin films

Nanoimprint lithography

⇒  arrays of circular nanomagnets

⇒  cylinders with diameter D

and height H

5 nm ≤ H ≤ 150 nm
Lebib et al., JAP 89, 3892 (2001)
50 nm ≤ D ≤ 500 nm
 Patterned thin films

⇒  grains within particles are strongly coupled

⇒  particles cannot accommodate a domain wall

⇒  patterned thin films as recording media

200-260 Gbit in-2 (periodicity 50 nm)

1 Tbit in-2  periodicity 25 nm

R. P. Cowburn et al., Phys. Rev. Lett 83, 1042 (99)
A. Lebib et al., J. Appl. Phys. 89, 3892 (01)

MFM

vortex

single-domain
R. P. Cowburn et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1042 (99)

experimental phase diagram

 Configurations

I II III core

in-plane out-of-plane vortex

 Theoretical approach

Eij = classical dipolar interaction

µi = magnetic moment on site i
Jij = exchange coupling
µi
K = anisotropy constant
{α1,α2,α3} = angles between µi and the
principal (easy) crystalline axes

configuration of lowest energy ?

For smaller systems ( e.g. N ~ 106)
⇒ single domain configurations only

Reason: strength of the exchange interaction J

Scaling approach
J. d’A. e C., D. Altbir, J. C. Retamal, and P. Vargas, Phys. Rev. Lett. (2002)

J’ = x J with x < 1
x = 0.04
x = 0.04
x = 0.06
x = 0.04
x = 0.06
x = 0.08
x = 0.04
x = 0.06
x = 0.08
x = 0.10
triple point
Ht (x) = Ht (1) xη with η = 0.55
 Scaling relations

J’ = x J

From the relation

Ht (x) = Ht (1) xη ⇒ Ht (1) = Ht (x)/ xη

we expect to find

H(1) = H(x) / xη
D(1) = D(x) / xη
Truncated conical particles

C. A. Ross et al., J. Appl. Phys. 89, 1310 (2001)

C. A. Ross et al., Phys. Rev. B 62, 14252 (2000)

 Calculation for Ni particles
ζ = 0.3

x = 0.010
x = 0.015
x = 0.020

J. Escrig, P. Landeros, J.C. Retamal, D. Altbir, and J. d’A. C., Appl. Phys. Lett. (2003)
 Calculation for Ni particles
ζ = 0.3

η = 0.55

J. Escrig, P. Landeros, J.C. Retamal, D. Altbir, and J. d’A. C., Appl. Phys. Lett. (2003)
 Important point: value of η
“Scaling relations for magnetized nanoparticles”
P. Landeros, J. Escrig, D. Altbir, D. Laroze, J. d’A.C., and P. Vargas
Phys. Rev. B 71, 094435 (2005)

  value of η may depend on the model for the magnetic

configurations!

model for the core 

vortex core
 Fast Monte-Carlo method

Could we combine the scaling technique and the

Monte-Carlo method?
“Fast Monte-Carlo method for magnetic nanoparticles”
P. Vargas, D. Altbir and J. d'Albuquerque e Castro
Phys. Rev. B, 73, 092417 (2006)

Single domain limit:

size L for which the flower
and vortex states have
equal energy.

http://www.ctcms.nist.gov/~rdm/mumag.org.html
 Fast Monte-Carlo method

µMag group (NIST)

L  8 lex where lex = (2A/µ0 M0²)1/2

A = exchange stiffness constant α J

Co: lex = 3.6 nm a0 = 0.2 nm J0 =2.35x103 kOe/µB

 L  29 nm and N  3x106 atoms !

 Fast Monte-Carlo method

For given L’ (small): Monte-Carlo  J’

?
x = J’/J0  L = L’/ xη

Calculations:
L’1 = 5 a0  x1 = 2.240×10-3

L’2 = 7 a0  x2 = 4.125×10-3 
L’3 = 9 a0  x3 = 6.509×10-3
η
η
η
 Fast Monte-Carlo method

Results

L = 8.02 lex
η = 0.551
Conclusion

It is possible to combine the Monte-Carlo method

with the scaling technique
 fast and reliable method for investigating
the equilibrium properties of magnetic nanoparticles