Magnetic grating produced by localized crystallization of amorphous Cu2MnSn thin film using femtosecond laser pulses

Abstract

A magnetic grating with a periodicity of 2 mu m was generated by selective crystallization of an amorphous Cu2MnSn thin film using femtosecond laser pulses. By irradiating the amorphous Cu2MnSn thin film with two-beam interference pattern of femtosecond laser pulses, alternating bands of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases were produced. The crystallized region was composed of ferromagnetic Cu2MnSn grains, whereas the amorphous region remained paramagnetic. Because crystallized Cu2MnSn is the only ferromagnetic phase that can be produced by heat-treatment of the amorphous Cu2MnSn thin film, a magnetic grating with high definition was produced. Moreover, the periodicity of the modulated structure can be reduced down to a submicrometer scale and extended to two dimensions so that the technique could be potentially utilized for magnetic patterning.