Date Available

8-6-2027

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE)

College

Engineering

Department/School/Program

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Faculty

J. Todd Hastings

Faculty

Zhi Chen

Abstract

The future of computing has consistently been pushing toward faster and smaller devices, but as we approach the physical limitations of conventional electronics, new avenues must be explored. Traditional electronic computing, which relies on electrical charge, suffers from significant energy dissipation due to electron scattering and faces increasing challenges as transistor dimensions shrink into the quantum regime. One alternative method is magnetic computing, in contrast, which manipulates spin states rather than charge, offering benefits ranging from energy efficiency, non-volatility, and reduced heat generation. Arrays of magnetic nano-islands, arranged in artificial spin ice geometries, offer a way to explore these advantages, potentially leading the way for new, low-power computing through emergent magnetic behavior and spin-based logic. In this research, the process by which these arrays of magnetic nano-islands are fabricated using electron beam lithography and deposition is explored. It further characterizes the magnetic dynamics using the magneto-optic Kerr effect and X-ray diffraction. This study focuses on how the thickness and geometry of islands impact the dynamics of the magnetic moments within these islands.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.427

Funding Information

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC-0024346.

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Available for download on Friday, August 06, 2027

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