Optical and Magneto-Optical Properties of Gd 22 Fe 78 Thin Films in the Photon Energy Range From 1.5 to 5.5 eV.

Optical and magneto-optical properties of amorphous Gd ₂₂ Fe ₇₈ (GdFe) thin films prepared by direct current (DC) sputtering on thermally oxidized substrates were characterized by the combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and magneto-optical spectroscopy in the photon energy range from 1.5 to 5.5 eV. Thin SiN _x and Ru coatings were used to prevent the GdFe surface oxidation and contamination. Using advanced theoretical models spectral dependence of the complete permittivity tensor and spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient were deduced from experimental data. No significant changes in the optical properties upon different coatings were observed, indicating reliability of used analysis.