Focused-electron-beam engineering of 3D magnetic nanowires

This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Magnetic Properties in Curved Geometries.Focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) is the ultimate additive nanofabrication technique for the growth of 3D nanostructures. In the field of nanomagnetism and its technological applications, FEBID could be a viable solution to produce future high-density, low-power, fast nanoelectronic devices based on the domain wall conduit in 3D nanomagnets. While FEBID has demonstrated the flexibility to produce 3D nanostructures with almost any shape and geometry, the basic physical properties of these out-of-plane deposits are often seriously degraded from their bulk counterparts due to the presence of contaminants. This work reviews the experimental efforts to understand and control the physical processes involved in 3D FEBID growth of nanomagnets. Co and Fe FEBID straight vertical nanowires have been used as benchmark geometry to tailor their dimensions, microstructure, composition and magnetism by smartly tuning the growth parameters, post-growth purification treatments and heterostructuring.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the projects MAT2017-82970-C2-1-R and MAT2017-82970-C2-2-R, the Aragon Regional Government (Construyendo Europa desde Aragón) through the project E13_20R with European Social Fund funding, the Ayuda para Contratos Predoctorales para la Formación de Doctores (BES-2015-072950) of the Spanish MINECO with the participation of the European Social Fund, and the European’s Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant No. 823713-ESTEEM3.Peer reviewe