New technique for producing patterned magnetic media

Summary form only given. One of the most perspective directions of preparing magnetic memory of ultra-high density relates to employing the patterned magnetic structure. The basis for suggested nonlithographic method of producing such a media is the new physical phenomena discovered by authors, whose the main point is the controllable selective removal of atoms (for instance, oxygen or nitrogen ones) from two- or poly-atomic compounds of metals under irradiation with accelerated protons of certain energies. Together with changing chemical composition, the general physical properties of irradiated material layers are also changed. Thereby, we succeeded to transform non-magnetic metal oxides into magnetic metals with characteristics similar to those of bulk metals. Employing masks one could produce regular structures comprising magnetic islands of the regular form in a non-magnetic thin-film matrix. In principle, the spatial pattern resolution of about 10 nm is attainable.