Nanomagnets: Creating order out of chaos

Miniaturization is the magic word when it comes to nanomagnetic devices intended for use in new types of electronic components. Scientists now have proposed the use of ion beams for their fabrication. An ultra-fine beam consisting of around 10 neon ions suffices to bring several hundred atoms of an iron-aluminum alloy into disarray and thereby generate a nanomagnet embedded directly in the material.