Dresden 2006 – scientific programme

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MA: Magnetismus

MA 2: Magnetic Thin Films I

MA 2.9: Talk

Monday, March 27, 2006, 12:15–12:30, HSZ 03

Combined magneto-optical and magnetic force microscopy study on patterned SmCo₅ and PrCo₅ thin films — •V. Neu¹, A. Singh¹, A. Patra¹, S. Dreyer², U. Wolff¹, S. Sievers³, Ch. Jooss², U. Siegner³, and L. Schultz¹ — ¹IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, Dresden, Germany — ²Institute for Materials Physics, University of Goettingen, Germany — ³Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Germany

The direct microscopic observation of magnetization processes is the most meaningful way to understand macroscopic magnetic behavior. Whereas magnetic force microscopy (MFM) offers high spatial resolution for domain imaging — an essential feature for studying modern permanent magnet materials with domain sizes in the sub 100 nm regime — magneto-optical methods allow large overview images, and with the use of calibrated indicator films, also quantitative stray field measurements. We present a magnetization study of highly coercive epitaxial SmCo₅ and PrCo₅ films. The films are laser deposited on heated MgO single crystal substrates and possess a well defined easy axis orientation in the film plane with coercivities of 2 to 3 T [1]. Arrays of micron sized square elements are structured by electron beam lithography and ion beam etching. Stray field measurements of individual elements are performed in subsequent higher remanent states throughout the magnetizing process by magneto-optical indicator film (MOIF) technique. This study is combined with an analysis of the domain structure imaged by MFM.

[1] A. Singh, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 87, 072505 (2005).