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Magnetic domains of CoFeB thin films

About CMN

The Stanford Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology is organized on the successful foundation of the Center for Research on Information Storage Materials (founded in 1991). The changes in the Center’s name and its operation mode are motivated by the rapidly evolving landscape in the industry and the intellectual environment at Stanford. In particular, as magnetic recording industry prospers and matures, new industries are emerging, most notably in spintronics, biomagnetics, energy and environment. We envision that our Center should be positioned to effect or lead new waves of magnetics-related technologies before the emerging technologies blossom into mainstream industries. Consequently, our strategic research topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • New materials and mechanisms for magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and spin transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM).
  • Spin filters and spin transistors.
  • High saturation high resistivity soft magnetic materials for integrated inductors, transformers, and energy conversion.
  • Bio-magnetic interface concepts: detection of magnetic nanoparticles by spin valve sensors and other spintronics sensors.
  • In vitro diagnostics of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, etc.
  • Application of magnetic nanotechnology to biomedicine including genomics and proteomics.
  • Cell sorting, including of circulating tumor cells and stem cells.
  • Spin electronics including using photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) for direct imaging of spin injection and  investigation of spin configuration in antiferromagnets.
  • X-Ray circular magnetic dichroism studies of magnetic multilayers; element specific magnetic moments and orientations; STXM.
  • New materials for information storage at atomic or molecular level.
  • High resolution scanning magnetic probes.
  • New magnetoresistive materials and read heads including magnetic tunnel junctions, half-metal and high spin polarization materials, current perpendicular to plane (CPP) GMR spin valves.
  • New materials to extend the superparamagnetic limit, such as new high saturation soft magnetic materials for inductive write heads and perpendicular recording disks.
  • Patterned magnetic media.
  • Nanocharaterization of advanced magnetic media, including high-resolution TEM studies of magnetic media.
  • Magnetization dynamics probed with ultra short (picoseconds) high field pulses, high data rate magnetic recording.
Sunset view from Stanford Campus