Theoretical study of magnetic pattern replication by He+ ion irradiation through stencil masks

Abstract We have developed an irradiation technique that allows us to tune the magnetic properties of Co/Pt multilayers without affecting their roughness. The planarity and the ability to independently control nanostructure size and coercivity make our technique very appealing for magnetic recording. We study the irradiation-induced 1:1 replication of features drilled in a stencil mask. Both the “gap” G between the magnetic film and the mask, and the aspect ratio (AR) of the mask features are analyzed, in view of the ion straggling in the mask resulting in collateral damages. Optimal gap is such that D ⪡ G ⪡ D /tan( α ) (typically 0.1⪡ G ⪡25 μm), where the D is the feature size. The replication quality is best for AR⩾3. Since the allowed gap interval is wide, we anticipate that mask fast positioning will be possible for the applications to magnetic recording.