A tiny sensor that can read the data from nano-scale magnetic circuits is being developed by researchers from Sheffield and Leeds Universities.

The researchers believe that in some cases, magnetic nanotechnology devices could offer higher device density, lower power consumption, improved reliability or additional functionality, compared with more traditional silicone-based devices.

The project aims to develop a network of magnetic nanowires that can process information. The magnetic polarisation of various regions, or domains of the wire would represent the binary numbers of digital information. While this is not new, the challenge facing the team is to develop a device that can read out the magnetic data in a form compatible with modern electronics.

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Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a low-temperature, catalyst-free technique for growing copper nanowires. These copper nanowires could serve as interconnects in electronic device fabrication and as electron emitters in a television-like, very thin flat-panel display known as a field-emission display.

Hyungsoo Choi, a research professor in the Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory at The University of Illinois, explained: “The copper nanowires are grown on a variety of surfaces, including glass, metal and plastic by chemical vapour deposition from a precursor.

“The patented growth process is compatible with contemporary silicon-processing protocols.”

Typically, the nanowires of 70 to 250 nanometers in diameter are grown on a silicon substrate at temperatures of 200 to 300°C and require no seed or catalyst. The size of the nanowires is controlled by the processing conditions, such as substrate, substrate temperature, deposition time and precursor feeding rate. The columnar, five-sided nanowires terminate in sharp, pentagonal tips that facilitate electron emission.

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