Dipolar interactions in periodic arrays of rectangular ferromagnetic islands

Abstract The increasing number of technological applications of micro- and nanomagnetism triggered the interest in the magnetic reversal behavior and the remanent states of laterally structured sub-micron sized magnetic elements. We have studied periodic arrays of dipolar coupled, rectangular permalloy stripes arranged on a square lattice. For distances below 1 μ m the dipolar interaction lead to ordered, symmetric remanent states. At larger distances the magnetic orientation was found to be disordered. The structures were defined by conventional e-beam lithography, the magnetic characterization was performed by magnetic force microscopy.