Patterning magnetic landscapes has recently emerged as a powerful avenue to achieve new functionalities in existing materials. In our recent publication, we demonstrate the creation of two-dimensional complex patterns with continuous variations in magnetic anisotropy, interlayer exchange coupling, and ferrimagnetic compensation at the mesoscopic scale in numerous application-relevant magnetic materials.
Engineered spatial variations in material properties underpin emerging capabilities across magnetism, microelectronics, optics, and other related fields. In this work, we employ direct laser writing to activate three distinct material transformation mechanisms-interdiffusion, crystallization, and oxidation-that locally tailor structural properties within magnetic thin film systems. These controlled transformations enable the fabrication of complex magnetic energy landscapes with high spatial fidelity. We demonstrate how magnetic property gradients produced by this approach facilitate the manipulation of spin waves and magnetic domain walls, underscoring the significance of two-dimensional property gradients for advancing magnonics and spintronics. Collectively, these findings establish laser annealing, implemented via direct laser writing, as a versatile platform for engineering functional material responses.
This work was carried out in collaboration with our colleagues at Laboratory for Multiscale Experiments at the Paul Scherrer Institute and with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, USA.
Two-dimensional gradients in magnetic properties created with direct-write laser annealing
Lauren J. Riddiford, Jeffrey A. Brock, Katarzyna Murawska, Jacob Wisser, Xiaochun Huang, Nick A. Shepelin, Hans T. Nembach, Aleš Hrabec & Laura J. Heyderman
Nature Communications, 16, 10979 (2025). external page DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-65921-7
PSI press release: external page Laser draws made-to-order magnetic landscapes
