Multilayer structures made from alternating magnetic and nonmagnetic metals have important applications in magnetic sensor technology such as the read heads in computer hard drives. Current technology using these materials allows large amounts of data to be stored on small hard drives such as the one in your iPod.
In this project, we will contribute to the development of these materials by analyzing the structural and elemental properties of electrodeposited thin films. The deposition of both a magnetic alloy (NiFe) and a nonmagnetic metal (Cu) will be studied. Students will learn to use and to interpret data from a number of different analysis tools. Elemental analysis will be performed by collaborating with students using the Hope College Ion Beam Analysis Laboratory. Several times during the summer, we will travel to Calvin College to use Dr. Kumar Sinniah's atomic force microscope to study the surface structure of the deposited films. |
