A method for fabricating artificial skyrmions and skyrmion lattices with a stable ground state at room temperature and in the absence of magnetic fields is provided. The lattices are formed by patterning vortex-state nanodots over macroscopic areas on top of an underlayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA); and preparing artificial skyrmion lattices using ion irradiation to suppress PMA in the underlayer and allow imprinting of the vortex structure from the nanodots to form the skyrmion lattices. Alternatively the skyrmions can be formed by ion-irradiating select asymmetric nanodot regions of the PMA underlayer, leading to planar skyrmions without nanodot protrusions. These artificial skyrmions can be used for low dissipation information storage, such as magnetic memory, logic devices and sensors.
