Notre objectif est d’améliorer la compréhension du phénomène d’anisotropie d’échange dans les nanoplots en comparaison aux films continus et d’étudier les effets du désordre magnétique à l’interface dans la couche AF sur les propriétés d’anisotropie d’échange. Dans un premier temps, nous avons utilisé un modèle granulaire qui prend en compte les phases magnétiques désordonnées à l’interface F/AF et nous modélisé ces phases par la présence de grains moins stables à l’interface dans la couche AF. De plus, dans le cas des nanoplots, nous avons pris en compte des grains moins stables localisés sur les bords de la couche AF pour reproduire les effets dus à la méthode de fabrication. Nous avons trouvé qu’il existe deux mécanismes de retournement de la couche F en dépendant de la valeur du couplage ferromagnétique. Si le couplage ferromagnétique faible, le retournement de la couche F s’amorce sur plusieurs centres de nucléation et s’effectue sans propagation. Alors que si le couplage ferromagnétique fort, le retournement de la couche F s’amorce en un seul centre de nucléation situé à un coin du nanoplot puis se propage à partir de ce coin. Ensuite notre modèle a permis d’expliquer les principales caractéristiques des comportements observés expérimentalement dans les bicouches Co/IrMn et NiFe/IrMn (pour différentes tailles latérales), à différentes températures de mesure et pour différentes épaisseurs de la couche AF. Plus précisément, les valeurs du champ d’échange simulé dans les films continus, à température ambiante, sont plus grandes que dans les nanoplots pour les faibles épaisseurs de la couche IrMn alors que c’est le contraire lorsque cette épaisseur augmente. Dans un deuxième temps, Nous avons utilisé un modèle atomique qui prend en compte la frustration magnétique dans la couche AF et la présence de défauts structuraux tels que les joints de grains et l’interdiffusion. Nous avons trouvé que l’effet combiné de la frustration, des joints de grains et de la surface induit des configurations magnétiques non colinéaires complexes (présence de domaines magnétiques) dans la couche AF à l’interface. Nos résultats montrent que la non-colinéarité des moments AF à l’interface diminue le couplage effectif à l’interface F/AF et diminue la constante d’anisotropie effective de la couche AF. Nos résultats montrent également que la présence de joints de grains lorsqu’il y a de la frustration renforce la stabilité de la couche AF à 0K alors qu’elle la diminue à température non nulle. Enfin, nous avons trouvé que l’interdiffusion diminue fortement le champ d’échange et rend la couche AF plus stable, ce qui correspond à une diminution du couplage effectif à l’interface. Il est important de noter que les valeurs du champ d’échange simulé sont dans ce cas réalistes, ce qui met en évidence que l’interdiffusion est probablement un des facteurs essentiels pour lesquels les champs d’échange mesurés expérimentalement sont nettement plus faibles que ceux prévus par les modèles simples. / Our goal is to improve the comprehension of the exchange bias (EB) in nanodots in comparison with the continuous films and to study the effects of the interfacial magnetic disorder on the EB properties. Firstly, we use a granular model which considers disordered interfacial phases by considering less stable magnetic grains at the interface in the antiferromagnetic (AF) layer. We further model the effect of the nanofabrication process by considering less stable magnetic grains at the edges, due to grain cutting. Our results evidence two different mechanisms of the ferromagnetic (F) layer reversal depending on the magnitude of the coupling between F grains. In the weak coupling regime relative to the anisotropy, the exchange field is independent of the coupling. By contrast, in the strong coupling regime, the exchange field depends on the coupling. Our model also well explain some experimental features observed in NiFe/IrMn and Co/IrMn nanodots (for various lateral sizes) and continuous films, at various measurement temperatures and various AF thicknesses. More precisely, the simulated values of the exchange field in the continuous films, at room temperature, are larger than in the nanodots for small values of the AF thicknesses. However, it is the opposite when this thickness increases. Secondly, we use an atomic model which considers the magnetic frustration inside the AF layer and the presence of structural defects such as grain boundaries and interdiffusion. We found that the combination effect of grain boundaries, frustration and surface can result in complex magnetic configurations in the AF layer at the interface (magnetic domains). Our results show that the non-collinearity of the AF moments at the interface decreases the effective coupling at the interface and decreases the effective anisotropy constant of the AF layer. Our findings indicate that combination effect of grain boundaries and frustration make the AF layer more stable at 0 Kelvin and less stable at non-zero temperature. Our results show that the interdiffusion decrease the simulated values of the exchange field and make the AF more stable which corresponds to a decrease of the effective coupling at the interface. It is important to note that the simulated values of the exchange field are realistic values, which highlights that the interdiffusion is probably one of the essential factors which can give simulated values close to the experimental values.

Self-organization is a hot topic as it has the potential to create surface patterns on the nanoscale avoiding cost-intensive top-down approaches. Although chemists have promising results in this area, ion irradiation can create self-organized surface patterns in a more controlled manner. Different regimes of pattern formation under ion irradiation were described so far by 2D models. Here, two new regimes have been studied experimentally, which require modeling in 3D: subsurface point defect kinetics as well as ion impact-induced melt pool formation. This thesis deals with self-organized pattern formation on Ge and Si surfaces under normal incidence irradiation with heavy monatomic and polyatomic ions of energies up to several tens of keV. Irradiation has been performed using liquid metal ion sources in a focused ion beam facility with mass-separation as well as by conventional broad beam ion implantation. Irradiated samples have been analyzed mainly by scanning electron microscopy. Related to the specific irradiation conditions, investigation and discussion of pattern formation has been divided into two parts: (i) formation of Ge morphologies due to point defect kinetics and (ii) formation of Ge and Si morphologies due to melt pool dynamics. Point defect kinetics dominates pattern formation on Ge under irradiation with monatomic ions at room temperature. Irradiation of Ge with Bi and Ge ions at fluences up to 10^17 cm^(-2) has been performed. Comprehensive studies show for the first time that morphologies change from flat surfaces over hole to nanoporous, sponge-like patterns with increasing ion energy. This study is consistent with former irradiations of Ge with a few ion energies. Based on my studies, a consistent, qualitative 3D model of morphology evolution has been developed, which attributes the ion energy dependency of the surface morphology to the depth dependency of point defect creation and relaxation. This model has been proven by atomistic computer experiments, which reproduce the patterns found in real irradiation experiments. At extremely high energy densities deposited by very heavy ions another mechanism dominates pattern formation. The formation of Ge and Si dot patterns by very heavy, monatomic and polyatomic Bi ion irradiation has been studied in detail for the first time. So far, this formation of pronounced dot pattern cannot be explained by any model. Comprehensive, experimental studies have shown that pattern formation on Ge is related to extremely high energy densities deposited by each polyatomic ion locally. The simultaneous impact of several atoms leads to local energy densities sufficient to cause local melting. Heating of Ge substrates under ion irradiation increases the achievable energy density in the collision cascade substantially. This prediction has been confirmed experimentally: it has been found that the threshold for nanomelting can be lowered by substrate heating, which allows pattern formation also under heavy, monatomic ion irradiation. Extensive studies of monatomic Bi irradiation of heated Ge have shown that morphologies change from sponge-like over highly regular dot patterns to smooth surfaces with increasing substrate temperature. The change from sponge-like to dot pattern is correlated to the melting of the ion collision cascade volume, with energy densities sufficient for melt pool formation at the surface. The model of pattern formation on Ge due to extremely high deposited energy densities is not specific to a single element. Therefore, Si has been studied too. Dot patterns have been found for polyatomic Bi ion irradiation of hot Si, which creates sufficiently high energy densities to allow ion impact-induced melt pool formation. This proves that pattern formation by melt pool formation is a novel, general pattern formation mechanism. Using molecular dynamics simulations of project partners, the correlation between dot patterning and ion impact-induced melt pool formation has been proven. The driving force for dot pattern formation due to high deposited energy densities has been identified and approximated in a first continuum description.