Investigation of influence of different parameters on results of probe oxidation

Fabrication of nanosized lines on magnetic films is of special interest because such lines can be used as nanosized elements for fabrication of planar tunnel junctions [1] or periodic planar structures that can serve as surface phononic crystal (SPC) for hypersonic frequency range that could be controlled by magnetic field [2]. Probe oxidation is one of the perspective tools to create such nanostructures. It is based on the electrochemical reaction of oxidation in the water meniscus under the sharp tip of the atomic force microscope (AFM). The reaction is stimulated by applied voltage between the tip and the sample [3]. There are only few works on probe oxidation of Ni [1, 4-5] and FeCo films [5]. But there is no investigation on influence of wide range of parameters on oxidation results. In this work investigation of dependences of probe oxidation of ferromagnetic metal films Ni and FeCo on different probe oxidation parameters is presented. Definition of optimal process parameters for fabrication structures with certain sizes was done.