Template-Assisted Electrochemical Deposition of Magnetoresistive Nanowire Arrays

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project involves the development of template-assisted electrodeposition as a convenient, cost-effective route toward the fabrication of nanowires. This new synthetic tool will be developed and used to generate and study magnetoresistive nanowire arrays as one-dimensional nanowires and nanowire arrays with unusual properties and potential for integration and miniaturization into current technologies. Students working on the project will gain valuable experience in both synthetic methodology and structure and property characterization techniques as they apply to the continually emerging area of nanomaterials. The project will also nurture active interactions between our laboratories and national laboratories (e.g., Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), allowing for multidisciplinary growth of the students involved with the project. %%% A major revolution in high-density data storage and retrieval occurred in 1970 with the invention of magnetoresistive read heads. Today, these sensors are major components in computer hard drives and memory, and hence the improvement in greater storage capacity per unit volume is in constant demand. Within the past decade, one-dimensional nanowires and nanowire arrays have captured the interests of many groups in a wide variety of fields, mainly due to their unusual properties and potential for integration and miniaturization into current technologies. Subsequently, the extremely small dimensions of magnetoresistive nanowire arrays allow for significant increases in storage capacity per unit volume based on size alone. Although template-assisted synthetic methods are widely used for the preparations of one-dimensional nanowire arrays, many of these techniques are expensive and elaborate. This research project explores a template-assisted electrodeposition procedure that provides a convenient, cost-effective route toward the fabrication of nanowire arrays. Students trained in this highly interdisciplinary area will compete very favorably for jobs in industry or academia. ***