LMN News and Highlights 2012 - 2015 Local Control of Vortex Core Reversal in a Magnetic Hybrid System Original Publication YouTube Animation Additional Information Scientists from the Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, together with researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Exeter, have discovered a new vortex core reversal mechanism that only occurs in magnetic hybrid systems. The vortex core reversal always occurs at a domain boundary and is therefore highly localised. This new mechanism provides a way to set the vortex core orientation at will and therefore control magnetisation at the nanoscale. 21 September 2015 Tiny magnets mimic steam, water and ice Media Releases Materials Research Matter and Material Research with muons Micro- and Nanotechnology Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) created a synthetic material out of 1 billion tiny magnets. Astonishingly, it now appears that the magnetic properties of this so-called metamaterial change with the temperature, so that it can take on different states; just like water has a gaseous, liquid and a solid state. 2. July 2015 Seven nanometres for the electronics of the future Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Materie und Material Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute have succeeded in creating regular patterns in a semiconductor material that are sixteen times smaller than in today’s computer chips. As a result, they have taken an important step closer towards even smaller computer components. Industry envisages structures on this scale as the standard for the year 2028. 24. March 2015 Split x-ray flash reveals rapid processes Grossforschungsanlagen SwissFEL Mikro- und Nanotechnologie SwissFEL, PSI’s x-ray laser, is to render the individual steps of very rapid processes visible. A new method will facilitate especially precise experiments: the individual x-ray flashes are split into several parts that arrive at the object under examination one by one. The principle of the method harks back to the ideas of the earliest high-speed photography. 20 March 2015 Nanometres in 3D Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Micro- and Nanotechnology Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich have created 3D images of tiny objects showing details down to 25 nanometres. In addition to the shape, the scientists determined how particular chemical elements were distributed in their sample and whether these elements were in a chemical compound or in their pure state. 19. January 2015 Neuer Laser für Computerchips Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Materialforschung Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Germanium-Zinn-Halbleiterlaser lässt sich direkt auf Siliziumchips aufbringen Winzige Laser, die in Computerchips aus Silizium eingebaut werden, sollen in Zukunft die Kommunikation innerhalb der Chips und zwischen verschiedenen Bauteilen eines Computers beschleunigen. Lange suchten Experten nach einem dafür geeigneten Lasermaterial, das sich mit dem Fertigungsprozess von Siliziumchips vereinbaren lässt. Wissenschaftler des Forschungszentrums Jülich und des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI haben hier nun einen wichtigen Fortschritt erzielt. This news release is only available in German. 5. May 2013 Tiny Magnets as a Model System Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Materialforschung Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Scientists use nano-rods to investigate how matter assembles To make the magnetic interactions between the atoms visible, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a special model system. It is so big that it can be easily observed under an X-ray microscope, and mimics the tiniest movements in Nature. The model: rings made from six nanoscale magnetic rods, whose north and south poles attract each other. At room temperature, the magnetisation direction of each of these tiny rods varies spontaneously. Scientists were able to observe the magnetic interactions between these active rods in real time. These research results were published on May 5 in the journal “Nature Physics”. 22. April 2013 Germanium – zum Leuchten gezogen Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Forscher des PSI und der ETH Zürich haben mit Kollegen vom Politecnico di Milano in der aktuellen Ausgabe der wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschrift "Nature Photonics" eine Methode erarbeitet, einen Laser zu entwickeln, der schon bald in den neuesten Computern eingesetzt werden könnte. Damit könnte die Geschwindigkeit, mit der einzelne Prozessorkerne im Chip miteinander kommunizieren, drastisch erhöht werden. So würde die Leistung der Rechner weiter steigen. This news release is only available in German. 8. April 2013 X-ray Laser: A novel tool for structural studies of nano-particles Medienmitteilungen Grossforschungsanlagen SwissFEL Materie und Material Prominent among the planned applications of X-ray free electron laser facilities, such as the future SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI, are structural studies of complex nano-particles, down to the scale of individual bio-molecules. A major challenge for such investigations is the mathematical reconstruction of the particle form from the measured scattering data. Researchers at PSI have now demonstrated an optimized mathematical procedure for treating such data, which yields a dramatically improved single-particle structural resolution. The procedure was successfully tested at the Swiss Light Source synchrotron at PSI. Well defined nanoparticles for this study have been fabricated at the LMN 31. January 2013 Magnetic nano-chessboard puts itself together Medienmitteilungen Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Materie und Material Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have been able to intentionally ‘switch off’ the magnetization of every second molecule in an array of magnetized molecules and thereby create a ‘magnetic nano-chessboard’. To achieve this, they manipulated the quantum state of a part of the molecules in a specific way. 2 October 2012 Silicon – Close to the Breaking Point Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material Stretching a layer of silicon can lead to internal mechanical strain which can considerably improve the electronic properties of the material. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH Zurich have created a new process from a layer of silicon to fabricate extremely highly strained nanowires in a silicon substrate. The researchers report the highest-ever mechanical stress obtained in a material that can serve as the basis for electronic components. The long term goal aim is to produce high-performance and low-power transistors for microprocessors based on such wires. 10 September 2012 Built-in Germanium Lasers could make Computer Chips faster Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) researchers have investigated the mechanisms necessary for enabling the semiconductor Germanium to emit laser light. As a laser material, Germanium together with Silicon could form the basis for innovative computer chips in which information would be transferred partially in the form of light. This technology would revolutionise data streaming within chips and give a boost to the performance of electronics. 11 July 2012 Ultra-short X-ray laser pulses precisely surveyed for the first time Media Releases Large Research Facilities SwissFEL Micro- and Nanotechnology X-ray lasers are modern light sources from which scientists expect to obtain new knowledge about the structure and function of materials at the atomic level. The scientific value of an X-ray laser stands or falls on the quality of the ultra-short X-ray pulses it produces and which researchers use to illuminate their samples. An international team led by scientists from the Paul Scherer Institute, PSI, has now precisely measured these pulses Sidebar Contact Laboratory for Micro-and Nanotechnology Paul Scherrer Institut 5232 Villigen PSI Switzerland Head a.i.Dr. Yasin Ekinci Secretary Ms. Anne Sacher Tel +41 56 310 2814 Fax +41 56 310 2646 Email: annekathrin.sacher@psi.ch Photon Science Division Homepage of PSI Division Photon Science (PSD)
Local Control of Vortex Core Reversal in a Magnetic Hybrid System Original Publication YouTube Animation Additional Information Scientists from the Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology, together with researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Exeter, have discovered a new vortex core reversal mechanism that only occurs in magnetic hybrid systems. The vortex core reversal always occurs at a domain boundary and is therefore highly localised. This new mechanism provides a way to set the vortex core orientation at will and therefore control magnetisation at the nanoscale.
21 September 2015 Tiny magnets mimic steam, water and ice Media Releases Materials Research Matter and Material Research with muons Micro- and Nanotechnology Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) created a synthetic material out of 1 billion tiny magnets. Astonishingly, it now appears that the magnetic properties of this so-called metamaterial change with the temperature, so that it can take on different states; just like water has a gaseous, liquid and a solid state.
2. July 2015 Seven nanometres for the electronics of the future Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Materie und Material Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute have succeeded in creating regular patterns in a semiconductor material that are sixteen times smaller than in today’s computer chips. As a result, they have taken an important step closer towards even smaller computer components. Industry envisages structures on this scale as the standard for the year 2028.
24. March 2015 Split x-ray flash reveals rapid processes Grossforschungsanlagen SwissFEL Mikro- und Nanotechnologie SwissFEL, PSI’s x-ray laser, is to render the individual steps of very rapid processes visible. A new method will facilitate especially precise experiments: the individual x-ray flashes are split into several parts that arrive at the object under examination one by one. The principle of the method harks back to the ideas of the earliest high-speed photography.
20 March 2015 Nanometres in 3D Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Micro- and Nanotechnology Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich have created 3D images of tiny objects showing details down to 25 nanometres. In addition to the shape, the scientists determined how particular chemical elements were distributed in their sample and whether these elements were in a chemical compound or in their pure state.
19. January 2015 Neuer Laser für Computerchips Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Materialforschung Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Germanium-Zinn-Halbleiterlaser lässt sich direkt auf Siliziumchips aufbringen Winzige Laser, die in Computerchips aus Silizium eingebaut werden, sollen in Zukunft die Kommunikation innerhalb der Chips und zwischen verschiedenen Bauteilen eines Computers beschleunigen. Lange suchten Experten nach einem dafür geeigneten Lasermaterial, das sich mit dem Fertigungsprozess von Siliziumchips vereinbaren lässt. Wissenschaftler des Forschungszentrums Jülich und des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI haben hier nun einen wichtigen Fortschritt erzielt. This news release is only available in German.
5. May 2013 Tiny Magnets as a Model System Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Materialforschung Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Scientists use nano-rods to investigate how matter assembles To make the magnetic interactions between the atoms visible, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a special model system. It is so big that it can be easily observed under an X-ray microscope, and mimics the tiniest movements in Nature. The model: rings made from six nanoscale magnetic rods, whose north and south poles attract each other. At room temperature, the magnetisation direction of each of these tiny rods varies spontaneously. Scientists were able to observe the magnetic interactions between these active rods in real time. These research results were published on May 5 in the journal “Nature Physics”.
22. April 2013 Germanium – zum Leuchten gezogen Medienmitteilungen Materie und Material Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Forscher des PSI und der ETH Zürich haben mit Kollegen vom Politecnico di Milano in der aktuellen Ausgabe der wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschrift "Nature Photonics" eine Methode erarbeitet, einen Laser zu entwickeln, der schon bald in den neuesten Computern eingesetzt werden könnte. Damit könnte die Geschwindigkeit, mit der einzelne Prozessorkerne im Chip miteinander kommunizieren, drastisch erhöht werden. So würde die Leistung der Rechner weiter steigen. This news release is only available in German.
8. April 2013 X-ray Laser: A novel tool for structural studies of nano-particles Medienmitteilungen Grossforschungsanlagen SwissFEL Materie und Material Prominent among the planned applications of X-ray free electron laser facilities, such as the future SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI, are structural studies of complex nano-particles, down to the scale of individual bio-molecules. A major challenge for such investigations is the mathematical reconstruction of the particle form from the measured scattering data. Researchers at PSI have now demonstrated an optimized mathematical procedure for treating such data, which yields a dramatically improved single-particle structural resolution. The procedure was successfully tested at the Swiss Light Source synchrotron at PSI. Well defined nanoparticles for this study have been fabricated at the LMN
31. January 2013 Magnetic nano-chessboard puts itself together Medienmitteilungen Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Materialforschung Materie und Material Forschung mit Synchrotronlicht Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have been able to intentionally ‘switch off’ the magnetization of every second molecule in an array of magnetized molecules and thereby create a ‘magnetic nano-chessboard’. To achieve this, they manipulated the quantum state of a part of the molecules in a specific way.
2 October 2012 Silicon – Close to the Breaking Point Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material Stretching a layer of silicon can lead to internal mechanical strain which can considerably improve the electronic properties of the material. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH Zurich have created a new process from a layer of silicon to fabricate extremely highly strained nanowires in a silicon substrate. The researchers report the highest-ever mechanical stress obtained in a material that can serve as the basis for electronic components. The long term goal aim is to produce high-performance and low-power transistors for microprocessors based on such wires.
10 September 2012 Built-in Germanium Lasers could make Computer Chips faster Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) researchers have investigated the mechanisms necessary for enabling the semiconductor Germanium to emit laser light. As a laser material, Germanium together with Silicon could form the basis for innovative computer chips in which information would be transferred partially in the form of light. This technology would revolutionise data streaming within chips and give a boost to the performance of electronics.
11 July 2012 Ultra-short X-ray laser pulses precisely surveyed for the first time Media Releases Large Research Facilities SwissFEL Micro- and Nanotechnology X-ray lasers are modern light sources from which scientists expect to obtain new knowledge about the structure and function of materials at the atomic level. The scientific value of an X-ray laser stands or falls on the quality of the ultra-short X-ray pulses it produces and which researchers use to illuminate their samples. An international team led by scientists from the Paul Scherer Institute, PSI, has now precisely measured these pulses
