Search

The magnetization behavior, magnetic anisotropy, and domain configurations of Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy capped with permalloy is investigated using magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and ferromagnetic resonance. The thickness of the Ni80Fe20 layer in [Co/Pd][subscript 5]/NiFe (t) was varied from t=0 to 80 nm in order to study the interplay between the anisotropy and magnetization directions of Co/Pd and NiFe. By varying the thickness of the NiFe layer, the net anisotropy changes sign, but domains with plane-normal magnetization are present even for the thickest NiFe. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements show a decrease in damping with increasing NiFe thickness. The results demonstrate how the magnetic behavior of mixed-anisotropy thin films can be controlled.

The magnetization behavior, magnetic anisotropy, and domain configurations of Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy capped with permalloy is investigated using magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and ferromagnetic resonance. The thickness of the Ni80Fe20 layer in [Co/Pd](5)/NiFe (t) was varied from t = 0 to 80 nm in order to study the interplay between the anisotropy and magnetization directions of Co/Pd and NiFe. By varying the thickness of the NiFe layer, the net anisotropy changes sign, but domains with plane- normal magnetization are present even for the thickest NiFe. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements show a decrease in damping with increasing NiFe thickness. The results demonstrate how the magnetic behavior of mixed- anisotropy thin films can be controlled., QC 20150302

We report on the parametric excitation of magnetic precession modes in nanodisks using a parallel pumping configuration. The excitations are detected using a ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy method, and the parallel-pumped spectra reveal nonlinear characteristics including instability thresholds and multiple, narrow, sawtooth-shaped resonances. These characteristics are in accord with analytical theory and micromagnetic modeling results. Modeled mode profiles of the excitations show that higher-order standing spin-wave modes with both even and odd symmetries are excited under parallel pumping., QC 20140428

We report ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy of confined spin-wave modes with improved, 100 nm resolution. The ferromagnetic resonance spectra in Permalloy disks (diameters ranging from 100 to 750 nm) distinguish multiple edge modes, and the images reveal distinct precession patterns. The fundamental edge mode also provides a new, localized probe of the magnetic properties of the film edge; rotation of the applied field reveals large edge property variations in nominally circular disks. As a function of disk diameter, the number of observed edge modes agrees with modeling., QC 20130204

We use the dipolar fields from a magnetic cantilever tip to generate localized spin wave precession modes in an in-plane magnetized, thin ferromagnetic film. Multiple resonances from a series of localized modes are detected by ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy and reproduced by micromagnetic models that also reveal highly anisotropic mode profiles. Modeled scans of line defects using the lowest-frequency mode provide resolution predictions of (94.5 +/- 1.5) nm in the field direction, and (390 +/- 2) nm perpendicular to the field., QC 20120326

We introduce a method for imaging defective structures in an array of magnetic nanodevices using ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy with contrast between normal and defective devices provided through differences in resonance condition. In a demonstration of this technique, two dimensional scans of an array resolve not only intentional differences in resonant field between 200 nm circular dots and an intentional oval "defect," but also smaller differences between the nominally identical circular dots in the array., QC 20120921

We use ferromagnetic-resonance force microscopy to spectroscopically image the edge modes in individual 700 nm and 400 nm wide Permalloy stripes with a spatial resolution on the order of 200 nm. The imaging clearly identifies some resonances as edge modes in stripes in a case where mode identification by comparison with micromagnetic modeling is not clear. Combined spectroscopic and spatial scans reveal clear differences in the edge mode resonances at opposite edges of the stripes as well as inhomogeneity along the length of the stripe., QC 20121206

We have investigated the effectiveness of Al, Au, Cu, Ni, Fe, and Ta films with thicknesses up to 4 nm for protecting a Co surface from oxidation in air at room temperature. The distinct change in the Co 2p3/2 core-level line shape observed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy upon the oxidation of Co makes it a simple matter to identify the fractions of the Co that are in the metallic state and in the oxidized state. We find that the best choices for protecting Co from oxidation are Al and Ta. We found that Au, which is one of the most popular choices, is not particularly effective for protecting Co.

When two magnetic films are separated by a nonmagnetic film, pinholes in the nonmagnetic film can allow direct contact and, thereby, direct magnetic exchange coupling between the two magnetic films. We have studied this coupling by having one of the magnetic films pinned and leaving the other free to switch at low field. The pinning is accomplished with test structures based on exchange bias and synthetic antiferromagnetic layers. Since the pinning strength increases sharply at low temperatures but orange-peel coupling does not, low-temperature (77 K) measurements appear to identify whether an observed coupling arises primarily from magnetic coupling through pinholes or primarily from orange-peel roughness. Our measurements appear to indicate that the observed coupling arises primarily from magnetic coupling through pinholes for Cu films less than 2.1 nm thick and for Al2O3 films less than 0.6 nm thick but primarily from roughness-induced (orange-peel) magnetostatic coupling for larger thicknesses., Pub. in Materials Research Society symposium proceedings; v. 674 pT1.2.1-T1.2.5, 2001. Prepared in cooperation with the Center for Magnetic Recording Research, Univ. of California at San Diego La Jolla, CA. This article is from ADA402512 Applications of Ferromagnetic and Optical Materials, Storage and Magnetoelectronics: Symposia Held in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. on April 16-20, 2001

The paper presents a theoretical analysis of elastic magnetic small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) due to the nonuniform magnetic microstructure in nanocrystalline ferromagnets. The reaction of the magnetization to the magnetocrystalline and magnetoelastic anisotropy fields is derived using the theory of micromagnetics. In the limit where the scattering volume is a single magnetic domain, and the magnetization is nearly aligned with the direction of the magnetic field, closed form solutions are given for the differential scattering cross-section as a function of the scattering vector and of the magnetic field. These expressions involve an anisotropy field scattering function, that depends only on the Fourier components of the anisotropy field microstructure, not on the applied field, and a micromagnetic response function for SANS, that can be computed from tabulated values of the materials parameters saturation magnetization and exchange stiffness constant or spin wave stiffness constant. Based on these results, it is suggested that the anisotropy field scattering function SH can be extracted from experimental SANS data. A sum rule for SH suggests measurement of the volumetric mean square anisotropy field. When magneto-crystalline anisotropy is dominant, then a mean grain size or the grain size distribution may be determined by analysis of SH.