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Focused ion beam method, which has excellent capabilities such as local deposition and selective etching, is widely used for micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample fabrication. Among the MEMS chips in which one can apply various external stimuli, the electrical MEMS chips require connection between the TEM sample and the electrodes in MEMS chip, and a connected deposition material with low electrical resistance is required to apply the electrical signal. Therefore, in this study, we introduce an optimized condition by comparing the electrical resistance for C-, Pt-, and W- ion beam induced deposition (IBID) at 30 kV and electron beam induced deposition (EBID) at 1 and 5 kV. The W-IBID at 30 kV with the lowest electrical resistance of about 30 Ω shows better electrical properties than C- and Pt-IBID electrodes. The W-EBID at 1 kV has lower electrical resistance than that at 5 kV; thus, confirming its potential as an electrode. Therefore, for the materials that are susceptible to ion beam damage, it is recommended to fabricate electrical connections using W-EBID at 1 kV.

Au-doped CoPt nanowires were prepared in anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanotemplates by electrodeposition and the doping effects on their microstructure and magnetic properties were investigated. Dependent on the deposition conditions, the CoPtAu nanowires can have the cubic or tetragonal phase. The magnetic measurements indicate that the nanowires demonstrate ferromagnetic behavior, showing the easy axis along the direction of the nanowires and strong enhancement in coercivity and squareness prior to annealing, whereas the optical measurements reveal plasmon resonances characteristic of nanostructured Au.

Analytical electron microscopy (AEM) was used to examine the initial interfacial reaction layers between a eutectic Sn–3.5Ag solder and an electroless nickel-immersion gold-plated (ENIG) Cu substrate during reflow at 255 °C for 1 s. AEM confirmed that a thick upper (Au,Ni)Sn2 layer and a thin Ni3Sn4 layer had formed through the reaction between the solder and ENIG. The amorphous electroless Ni(P) plated layer transformed into two P-rich Ni layers. One is a crystallized P-rich Ni layer, and the other is an intermediate state P-rich Ni layer before the crystallization. The crystallized P-rich layer consisted of Ni2P and Ni12P5. A thin Ni2P layer had formed underneath the Ni3Sn4 layer and is believed to be a predecessor of the Ni2SnP ternary phase. A Ni12P5 phase was observed beneath the Ni2P thin layer. In addition, nanocrystalline Ni was found to coexist with the amorphous Ni(P) phase in the intermediate state P-rich Ni layer.

Magnetite nanocrystals of 2–4 nm were synthesized by a chemical coprecipitation method, by which the particle size was controlled by the reaction temperature. The nanocrystals were investigated by XRD, TEM/HRTEM, VSM and SQUID. It is found that the nanocrystals reveal well-defined superparamagnetic behavior before and after annealing, while the observation of the distinct lattices manifest the high crystallinity of the ultrasmall particles.

We synthesized monodisperse CoPt nanoparticles by a modified polyol process, in which Co(acac)3 and Pt(acac)2 were co-reduced by a diol in the presence of PVP surfactants at high temperature (acac = acetylacetonate, PVP = polyvinylpyrrolidone). It is found that the CoPt nanoparticles assume a face-centered cubic phase and possess high crystallinity, with a particle size of 5.3 nm and a tight size distribution. The nanoparticles show superparamagnetism in the as-synthesized state and become ferromagnetic after annealing. The magnetization process of the nanoparticles prior to heat treatment was analyzed by the Langevin equation and their effective magnetic particle size was thus obtained, in close approximation to the results from the XRD and TEM observation.

Magnetite particles of 2–4 nm were synthesized by an economic, biocompatible chemical coprecipitation route, with their size tuned by the reaction temperature. The microstructure and morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), whereas the magnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). It is found that the nanoparticles demonstrate well-defined superparamagnetic behavior as prepared and after annealing. Distinct lattices were observed which manifest the high crystallinity of such ultrasmall particles and the finite-size effect was revealed by analyzing the corresponding microstructure and magnetism.

We report a simple approach to synthesize ZnO–Ag composite nanocrystals with different ZnO/Ag ratios via a nanoemulsion process. The morphology and structure of the nanocrystals are investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, showing the high crystallinity of the nanocrystals with narrow size distributions. The corresponding optical and magnetic properties are analyzed with photoluminescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectrometry and physical property measurement system in detail. The ensuing magnetism is interpreted in terms of nanosizing and other effects. Such ZnO–Ag nanocrystals may be further explored for biomedical applications and spintronic devices with interesting optical and magnetic properties.

We report the synthesis and characterization of monosized Eu-doped ZnO nanocrystals via a nanoemulsion process as a function of the doping ratio. The structure, optical, and magnetic properties of the nanocrystals are investigated by XRD, TEM, PL spectrometry, and physical property measurement system. The nanocrystals as prepared show high crystallinity and tight particle size distributions with the diameters of ∼ 10 nm. The doped samples clearly exhibit the 5D0→7FJ transition emission due to the presence of the Eu3+ ions. Meanwhile, the magnetic responses demonstrate the temperature dependence and change with dopant concentration.

NiFe/Au barcode nanowires were synthesized by pulsed electrodeposition using anodic aluminum oxide nanotemplate, comprising magnetic, catalytic, and optical segments, respectively. The self-powered motion of the BNWs due to the catalytic reaction was observed in aqueous H2O2. The approach demonstrates how sophistication in barcode nanoarchitecture can be used to synthesize a wide range of hybrid materials.

We report the nonaqueous synthesis and magnetic properties of narrowly size distributed ZnFe2O4 nanocrystals of two different particle sizes by nanoemulsion, of which structure and properties were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, and physical property measurement system. The morphological and structural characterization show the high crystallinity and excellent particle size distribution of the ZnFe2O4 nanocrystals in the diameters of 5.37 ± 0.68 nm and 6.44 ± 0.95 nm, separately. Meantime, the corresponding magnetic measurements reveal the strong size dependence and well-defined nanomagnetism of the nanocrystals.

We present the synthesis and magnetic properties of multifunctional CoPtAu alloy nanoparticles of three compositions, Co0.33Pt0.33Au0.33, Co0.2Pt0.2Au0.6, and Co0.4Pt0.4Au0.2, by a modified polyol process. The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses confirm the formation of the alloy nanostructure comprising Au-rich and Pt-rich nanophases, with a narrow distribution of particle sizes and provides the detailed structural arrangements. The magnetic study shows the composition dependence of the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles, from superparamagnetic for both Co0.33Pt0.33Au0.33 and Co0.4Pt0.4Au0.2 to soft ferromagnetic for Co0.2Pt0.2Au0.6.

A double-barrier magnetic tunnel junction (DMTJ) comprising an amorphous ferromagnetic NiFeSiB was investigated to reduce bias voltage dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio. The typical DMTJ structures were Ta45∕Ru9.5∕IrMn10∕CoFe7∕AlOx∕free layer7∕AlOx∕CoFe7∕IrMn10∕Ru60 (in nanometers). Various free layers such as CoFe 7, NiFeSiB 7, CoFe3.5∕NiFeSiB3.5, and NiFeSiB3.5∕CoFe3.5 were prepared and compared. The NiFeSiB-used DMTJ shows a low root-mean-square surface roughness of 0.17 nm, a resistance of about 860Ω, a Vh (voltage where the TMR ratio becomes half of its nonbiased value) of 1.1 V, and a high junction breakdown voltage of 2.0 V. The DMTJ with an amorphous NiFeSiB free layer offers smooth surface roughness resulting in reduced interlayer coupling field and bias voltage dependence.