Absence of weak electron localization in ferromagnetic Co nanowires

Co nanowires are fabricated by standard electron beam lithography (EBL) and lift-off technique and by subsequent electron beam evaporation of Co. Some of the wires are covered with either Pt or C in order to prevent oxidation. Magentoresistance measurements are carried out in a He bath-cryostat with applied magnetic fields of up to B = 5.0 T in out-of-plane direction. Structural investigations reveal that the Co-wires have a polycrystalline morphology. Electron diffraction patterns indicate the predominance of hexagonal close packed (HCP) Co. Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) investigations show that all Co-wires are in a single-domain state at remanence with the magnetization lying in-plane along the long wire axis due to their strong shape anisotropy.