Cuprate high-temperature superconductors, such as Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO), are extremely promising for emerging technologies such as low-power computing, data storage, quantum sensors and superconducting electronics. However, the realization of high-performance functional nanostructures presents formidable challenges due to the difficulty of applying conventional nanofabrication methods to such sensitive materials, making the search for alternative methods a key enabling factor. Since YBCO's superconducting and normal-state properties are highly dependent on oxygen stoichiometry, precise nanoscale control of the oxygen content represents a highly appealing approach for creating advanced nanoengineered devices. In this work, we demonstrate the precise fabrication of sub-micrometer, grayscale patterns over large areas in epitaxial YBCO thin films, achieving finely tuned optical and superconducting transport properties by locally controlling the stoichiometry through maskless direct laser writing under ambient conditions. Cryogenic magneto-optical imaging and transport measurements in irradiated devices directly demonstrate the spatial tuning of the critical temperature and carrier density with the patterning conditions. Correlated Raman microscopy and reflectometry indicate a laser-power dependent oxygen depletion in the irradiated regions. The proposed laser-controlled stoichiometry approach provides a direct and scalable method to navigate the phase diagram of high-TC superconducting oxides, offering new possibilities for integrating functional nanostructures into superconducting devices.

Integrated circuits are a cornerstone of modern information technology, and analog wave-based architectures could enable fast and efficient processing beyond conventional charge electronics. In magnonics, spin waves provide a highly tunable, compact and energy-efficient medium for on-chip microwave signal transport and processing. However, progress has been limited to isolated elements or short devices, severely limiting the overall functional complexity and scalability. Here we realize the key elements of universal magnonic circuitry, using a single-step direct laser writing process in yttrium iron garnet, and monolithically cascade them in multi-stage programmable devices and networks. Using magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy, we show efficient spin-wave propagation and preserved phase coherence in waveguide structures for hundreds of wavelengths. In coupled waveguides, we observe complete and periodic power transfer over several coupling lengths, and in phase shifters we achieve arbitrary, tunable phase delays. By cascading these elements, we realize programmable splitters, frequency demultiplexers, and phase-controlled 2x2 routers, where output power and relative phase can be programmed on demand via external fields. Finally, we realize programmable magnonic interferometric meshes for on-chip radio-frequency signal routing, with up to six magnonic inputs and outputs and seven cascaded stages, without the need for intermediate amplification. These direct-write cascaded networks bridge a long-standing gap in magnonic scalability, offering a viable pathway toward integrated, large-scale architectures for both classical and quantum processing.

Magnetic textures are central to emerging spintronic and unconventional computing technologies due to their rich dynamics, topological properties and nanoscale dimensions. A major challenge remains achieving tunable, reversible, and spatially resolved control over these textures and their evolution as a function of external stimuli, by spatially reprogramming the magnetic energy landscape that governs their nucleation and stability. Here, we exploit a focused laser-assisted local field cooling technique that establishes a fast, non-contact and scalable platform for grayscale spin texture engineering. By non-destructively controlling the exchange-bias anisotropy with nanoscale resolution in thin-film heterostructures, this approach enables grayscale, reprogrammable control of the local energy profile, which we use to create magnetic patterns with highly controlled hysteresis, field-dependent readability and tunable switching thresholds. Leveraging this capability, we demonstrate information encoding with magnetic field-gated readability, and artificial spin metamaterials, stabilizing spin lattices with field-reconfigurable symmetries and creating artificial Moiré spin textures via the geometric superposition of twisted magnetic potentials. These results establish a versatile, reprogrammable platform that bridges the gap between application-oriented magnetic memory and fundamental studies of emergent order in artificial lattices.

The exceptional magnetic, optical and phononic properties of Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) make it unique for spin-wave based and photonic applications. Yet, nanostructuring crystalline YIG and manipulating its magnetism in a non-destructive way is an outstanding challenge, and so far mostly limited to two-dimensional capabilities. Here, we show that irradiation of single-crystal YIG films with a focused UV laser drives a stable, giant enhancement of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, preserving the crystalline quality. This modulation is highly confined at the nanoscale in both the lateral and vertical directions, and its extension within the volume can be finely tuned with a continuous depth-control. By harnessing these three-dimensional anisotropy profiles, we demonstrate a large tuning of the spin-wave band structure, volume spatial localization, and non-reciprocity, realizing proof-of-principle 3D magnonic crystals. This straightforward, single-step, laser nanofabrication of three-dimensional magnetic systems based on crystalline YIG thin films opens the way to design novel functions in magnonic and magneto-optic devices.

We study numerically and experimentally the second-harmonic generation (SHG) from rectangular meta-gratings of V-shaped gold nanoantennas. We show that by carefully engineering the array pitch to steer the diffraction orders toward the single antenna emission, the extracted signal is maximized. This enhancement is attributed to the angular overlap between the radiation pattern and array factor and is comparable to the improvement yielded by the coupling of surface lattice resonances (SLRs) with local modes. Moreover, we demonstrate a simple technique to experimentally reconstruct the emission diagram of an antenna from measurements of the collective grating response as a function of the excitation angle. Excellent agreement is obtained with simulations when the sample is immersed either in air or in water, which is crucial in view of future sensing application. Thanks to the high signal-to-noise ratio and low dependence on the statistical particle dispersity, this method constitutes an effective alternative to back-focal plane imaging when very weak signals such as SHG are involved.

Spin waves are collective perturbations in the orientation of the magnetic moments in magnetically ordered materials. Their rich phenomenology is intrinsically three-dimensional; however, the three-dimensional imaging of spin waves has so far not been possible. Here, we image the three-dimensional dynamics of spin waves excited in a synthetic antiferromagnet, with nanoscale spatial resolution and sub-ns temporal resolution, using time-resolved magnetic laminography. In this way, we map the distribution of the spin-wave modes throughout the volume of the structure, revealing unexpected depth-dependent profiles originating from the interlayer dipolar interaction. We experimentally demonstrate the existence of complex three-dimensional interference patterns and analyze them via micromagnetic modelling. We find that these patterns are generated by the superposition of spin waves with non-uniform amplitude profiles, and that their features can be controlled by tuning the composition and structure of the magnetic system. Our results open unforeseen possibilities for the study and manipulation of complex spin-wave modes within nanostructures and magnonic devices.

The fabrication and integration of high-quality structures of Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) is critical for magnonics.Films with excellent properties are obtained only on single crystal Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (GGG) substrates using high-temperature processes. The subsequent realization of magnonic structures via lithography and etching is not straightforward as it requires a tight control of the edge roughness, to avoid magnon scattering, and planarization in case of multilayer devices. In this work we describe a different approach based on local laser annealing of amorphous YIG films, avoiding the need for subjecting the entire sample to high thermal budgets and for physical etching. Starting from amorphous and paramagnetic YIG films grown by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature on GGG, a 405 nm laser is used for patterning arbitrary shaped ferrimagnetic structures by local crystallization. In thick films (160 nm) the laser induced surface corrugation prevents the propagation of spin-wave modes in patterned conduits. For thinner films (80 nm) coherent propagation is observed in 1.2 micron wide conduits displaying an attenuation length of 5 micron which is compatible with a damping coefficient of about 5e-3. Possible routes to achieve damping coefficients compatible with state-of-the art epitaxial YIG films are discussed.

Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs) in Au thin films are nowadays intensively exploited for sensing applications that leverage the strong optical field confinement at the metal/dielectric interface and the easy functionalization of the Au surface. Moreover, Au thin films represent one of the common starting points for the top-down nanofabrication of plasmonic nanostructures supporting localized resonances. In this framework, strategies for the growth of high-quality Au films on transparent substrates are crucial and not yet fully established. In this study, we exploit MgO(001) substrates for the growth of thin (about 45 nm) Au films, also including an additional buffer layer of Fe. We successfully demonstrate Au samples with reduced roughness and presenting Low-Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) features, indicating a high degree of crystalline ordering. This is supported by the experimental evidence of an increased (by almost a factor of 3) propagation length compared to a reference Au sample grown on standard glass slides, which is however still significantly lower than the one expected from first principles.

Synthetic antiferromagnets (SAF) are versatile magnetic structures consisting of two ferromagnetic thin films with antiparallel magnetization, sepa-rated by a thin non-magnetic spacer. They are used in modern spintronics as build-ing blocks of spintronic devices for data storage applications, computing, and as magnetic-field sensors. More recently, they have been proposed as media for effi-cient skyrmions and spin-waves propagation, and for spin-torque oscillators. Tai-loring their properties is therefore of fundamental importance for the development of novel nanomaterials. In this work, the magnetic properties of different types of SAFs are investigated via vibrating sample magnetometry, by changing the thick-ness of the layers. Importantly, while a decrease of the saturation and interlayer exchange coupling field for thicker systems is present, the desired antiferromagnetic coupling at remanence is still robust. These results suggest that by modulating the thickness of the layers, it is possible to finely engineer the SAF magnetic properties even in tens of nm-thick SAFs, enabling a new degree of freedom in the design and development of novel magnetic nanodevices.

Spin waves represent the collective excitations of the magnetization field within a magnetic material, providing dispersion curves that can be manipulated by material design and external stimuli. Bulk and surface spin waves can be excited in a thin film with positive or negative group velocities and, by incorporating a symmetry-breaking mechanism, magnetochiral features arise. Here we study the band diagram of a chiral magnonic crystal consisting of a ferromagnetic film incorporating a periodic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling via interfacial contact with an array of heavy-metal nanowires. We provide experimental evidence for a strong asymmetry of the spin wave amplitude induced by the modulated interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, which generates a nonreciprocal propagation. Moreover, we observe the formation of flat spin-wave bands at low frequencies in the band diagram. Calculations reveal that depending on the perpendicular anisotropy, the spin-wave localization associated with the flat modes occurs in the zones with or without Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.

Nanomaterials derive their electronic, magnetic, and optical properties from their specific nanostructure. In most cases, nanostructured materials and their properties are defined during the materials growth, and nanofabrication techniques, such as lithography, are employed subsequently for device fabrication. Herein, a perspective is presented on a different approach for creating nanomaterials and devices where, after growth, advanced nanofabrication techniques are used to directly nanostructure condensed matter systems, by inducing highly controlled, localized, and stable changes in the electronic, magnetic, or optical properties. Then, advantages, limitations, applications in materials science and technology are highlighted, and future perspectives are discussed.

Spin-wave based devices offer several advantages, such as the absence of Joule losses and the sub-μm wavelength in the GHz-THz range, and have been proposed as promising alternatives to the standard CMOS technology. In this context, synthetic antiferromagnetic systems have been extensively studied for the development of nanomagnonic devices, thanks to their high degree of tunability. Moreover, spin textures have recently been demonstrated as efficient means for the generation and emission of spin waves. Here, we show that with the newly proposed phase nanoengineering methodology it is possible to magnetically nanopattern spin textures via thermally assisted magnetic Scanning Probe Lithography in a 200-nm-thick exchange-biased synthetic antiferromagnetic multilayer. In such nanopatterned structures, we demonstrate via time-resolved scanning transmission x-ray microscopy the generation and manipulation of different types of coherent spin-wave modes. By strongly enhancing the robustness and quality of the spin-wave wavefronts propagating for multiple wavelengths in thick synthetic antiferromagnetic systems, this work opens the possibility to expand the comprehension of the spin-wave phenomenology also to the third dimension and to study the complex spin-wave properties through the volume of the magnetic systems, enabling their control for the design of novel three-dimensional nanomagnonic devices.

Spin textures, such as non-uniform domain arrangements, domain walls and skyrmions are naturally occurring structures in magnetic materials. Recently, the unique properties of spin textures such as their reconfigurability, stability and scalability towards nanoscale dimensions, has sparkled the interests towards their use as active elements in spintronic devices. In the framework of magnonics, which aims to use spin waves (SWs) for carrying and processing information, using spin textures allows to harness an extremely rich phenomenology for designing new functionalities. In this review, we focus on the recent developments on the control and stabilization of engineered spin textures, and their applications in the field of magnonics. First, we introduce the main techniques used for stabilizing the spin textures and controlling their properties. Then we review the recent results on the use of engineered spin textures for guiding, emitting and manipulating SWs, and the recent proposals on the realization of complex functionalities using integrated spin-texture-based systems, which hint to possible future directions for technological prospects.

We investigate the spin dynamics driven by terahertz magnetic fields in epitaxial thin films of cobalt in its three crystalline phases. The terahertz magnetic field generates a torque on the magnetization which causes it to precess for about 1 ps, with a subpicosecond temporal lag from the driving force. Then, the magnetization undergoes natural damped THz oscillations at a frequency characteristic of the crystalline phase. We describe the experimental observations solving the inertial Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. Using the results from the relativistic theory of magnetic inertia, we find that the angular momentum relaxation time η is the only material parameter needed to describe all the experimental evidence. Our experiments suggest a proportionality between η and the strength of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy.

Malaria remains the most important mosquito-borne infectious disease worldwide, with 229 million new cases and 409.000 deaths in 2019. The infection is caused by a protozoan parasite which attacks red blood cells by feeding on hemoglobin and transforming it into hemozoin. Despite the WHO recommendation of prompt malaria diagnosis, the quality of microscopy-based diagnosis is frequently inadequate while rapid diagnostic tests based on antigens are not quantitative and still affected by non-negligible false negative/positive results. PCR-based methods are highly performant but still not widely used in endemic areas. Here, a diagnostic tool (TMek), based on the paramagnetic properties of hemozoin nanocrystals in infected red blood cells (i-RBCs), is reported on. Exploiting the competition between gravity and magnetic forces, i-RBCs in a whole blood specimen are sorted and electrically detected in a microchip. The amplitude and time evolution of the electrical signal allow for the quantification of i-RBCs (in the range 10-105 i-RBC µL-1) and the distinction of the infection stage. A preliminary validation study on 75 patients with clinical suspect of malaria shows on-field operability, without false negative and a few false positive results. These findings indicate the potential of TMek as a quantitative, stage-selective, rapid test for malaria.

We investigate the spin dynamics driven by terahertz magnetic fields in epitaxial thin films of cobalt in its three crystalline phases with distinct magneto-crystalline anisotropy. The terahertz ma ...

Magnonics is a budding research field in nanomagnetism and nanoscience that addresses the use of spin waves (magnons) to transmit, store, and process information. The rapid advancements of this field during last one decade in terms of upsurge in research papers, review articles, citations, proposals of devices as well as introduction of new sub-topics prompted us to present the first roadmap on magnonics. This is a collection of 22 sections written by leading experts in this field who review and discuss the current status besides presenting their vision of future perspectives. Today, the principal challenges in applied magnonics are the excitation of sub-100 nm wavelength magnons, their manipulation on the nanoscale and the creation of sub-micrometre devices using low-Gilbert damping magnetic materials and its interconnections to standard electronics. To this end, magnonics offers lower energy consumption, easier integrability and compatibility with CMOS structure, reprogrammability, shorter wavelength, smaller device features, anisotropic properties, negative group velocity, non-reciprocity and efficient tunability by various external stimuli to name a few. Hence, despite being a young research field, magnonics has come a long way since its early inception. This roadmap asserts a milestone for future emerging research directions in magnonics, and hopefully, it will inspire a series of exciting new articles on the same topic in the coming years.

Since its birth in the 1990s, semiconductor spintronics has suffered from poor compatibility with ferromagnets as sources of spin. While the broken inversion symmetry of some semiconductors may alternatively allow for spin-charge interconversion, its control by electric fields is volatile. Ferroelectric Rashba semiconductors stand as appealing materials unifying semiconductivity, large spin-orbit coupling, and non-volatility endowed by ferroelectricity. However, their potential for spintronics has been little explored. Here, we demonstrate the non-volatile, ferroelectric control of spin-to-charge conversion at room temperature in epitaxial GeTe films. We show that ferroelectric switching by electrical gating is possible in GeTe despite its high carrier density. We reveal a spin-to-charge conversion as effective as in Pt, but whose sign is controlled by the orientation of the ferroelectric polarization. The comparison between theoretical and experimental data suggests that spin Hall effect plays a major role for switchable conversion. These results open a route towards devices combining spin-based logic and memory integrated into a silicon-compatible material.

Interfaces play a crucial role in the study of novel phenomena emerging at heterostructures comprising metals and functional oxides. In this work, we consider Cr/BaTiO3 heterostructures grown on Nb:SrTiO3 (001) substrates. Chromium thin films with 2 nm nominal thickness are deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on the BaTiO3 layer, and subsequently annealed in vacuum at temperatures ranging from 800 K to 970 K, and finally exposed to 10(-7) torr of molecular oxygen for 300 s. Highly ordered films are obtained for each of this condition, ranging from metallic Cr to insulating Cr2O3 with tetragonal structure. Quite unexpectedly, an intermediate fully ordered - case exists, with the co-presence of Cr and Cr2O3 compounds, each one with its proper crystal orientation. These results show the opportunity of controlling the metal/oxide state of crystalline Cr films grown onto the ferroelectric template BaTiO3/Nb:SrTiO3.