SELF-ORGANIZED FE NANOWIRE ARRAYS PREPARED BY SHADOW DEPOSITION ON NACL(110) TEMPLATES

Iron nanowire arrays have been grown by shadow deposition on a self-or ganized grating template produced by annealing the sodium chloride (11 0) surface. The typical wire size as measured using transmission elect ron microscopy is 45 nm x 13 nm x 10 mu m. The typical wire array peri od is 90 nm. The magnetic properties were dominated by a strong in-pla ne shape anisotropy. The hysteresis loops examined by magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements indicated coherent switching, even though the individual wires were isolated from one another. (C) 1997 American In stitute of Physics.