The challenge of integrating magnetic nanostructures into functional 3-D devices

Most magnetic nanostructures today are ultrathin or nanostructured films and multilayers. The key challenge for the future will be a suitable technology to integrate and to contact nanostructures in a reliable manner. Real devices are truly 3-dimensional structures, particularly where the roughness and shape of the contact lines influences a performance to such an extent that they modify the mechanism of operation. The topography must absolutely be taken into consideration during the design phase. This move towards non-flat device structures requires advanced fabrication, testing, and modeling in realistic 3-D geometries.