Field of Study
The Stanford Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology is organized on the successful foundation of the Center for Research on Information Storage Materials (founded in 1991). The changes in the Center’s name and its operation mode are motivated by the rapidly evolving landscape in the industry and the intellectual environment at Stanford. In particular, as magnetic recording industry prospers and matures, new industries are emerging, most notably in spintronics and biomagnetics. We envision that our Center should be positioned to effect or even lead new waves of magnetics-based technologies before the emerging technologies blossom into mainstream industries. Consequently, our strategic research topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
1) Emerging Magnetic Nanotechnologies and
Fundamental Studies
·
New
materials and mechanisms for magnetic random access memory (MRAM).
·
High
saturation high resistivity soft magnetic materials for RF integrated
inductors and wireless communication.
·
Bio-magnetic
interface concepts: detection of magnetic nanoparticles by spin valve
sensors.
·
Application
of magnetic nanotechnology to biomedicine including genomics and
proteomics.
·
Spin
electronics including using photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) for
direct imaging of spin injection and investigation
of spin configuration in antiferromagnets.
·
Spin
filters and current-driven spin switching.
·
X-Ray
circular magnetic dichroism studies of magnetic multilayers; element
specific magnetic moments and orientations.
·
New
materials for information storage at atomic or molecular level.
· High resolution scanning magnetic probes.
2)
Magnetic Recording Heads and Media
·
New
magnetoresistive materials and read heads including magnetic tunnel
junctions, half-metal and high spin polarization materials, current
perpendicular to plane (CPP) GMR spin valves.
·
New
materials to extend the superparamagnetic limit, such as new high
saturation soft magnetic materials for inductive write heads and
perpendicular recording disks.
·
Patterned
magnetic media.
· Nanocharaterization
of advanced magnetic media, including high-resolution TEM studies of thin
film media.
· Magnetization dynamics probed with ultra short (picoseconds) high field pulses, high data rate magnetic recording.
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