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

A magnetic grating with a periodicity of 2 μm 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]