Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

180° Surface Domain Wall Magnetization Profiles: Comparisons Between Scanning Electron Microscopy with Polarization Analysis Measurements, Magneto-Optic Kerr Microscopy Measurements and Micromagnetic Models

Published

Author(s)

M Scheinfein, P J. Ryan, John Unguris, Daniel T. Pierce, Robert Celotta

Abstract

We compare measurements of magnetization profiles across a 180° surface domain wall in a 0.24-υm-thick of Permalloy (Ni81Fe19), obtained with scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) and longitudinal magneto-optic (MO) Magneto-Optic Microscopy with the predictions of a bulk micromagnetic theory. Both measurement techniques yield wall profiles in accordance with the predictions of micromagnetic theory. We conclude that for micromagnetic structure with relevant length scales on the order of tens of nanometers, SEMPA and MO Magneto-Optic Microscopy yield equivalent quantitative micromagnetic information within the transverse spatial resolution limits of each technique. Near-surface effects such as enhanced surface moments, weakened surface exchange, and surface anisotropy are not important in determining the surface domain wall profiles that we observe.
Citation
Applied Physics Letters
Volume
57
Issue
17

Citation

Scheinfein, M. , Ryan, P. , Unguris, J. , Pierce, D. and Celotta, R. (1990), 180° Surface Domain Wall Magnetization Profiles: Comparisons Between Scanning Electron Microscopy with Polarization Analysis Measurements, Magneto-Optic Kerr Microscopy Measurements and Micromagnetic Models, Applied Physics Letters (Accessed March 29, 2024)
Created December 31, 1989, Updated October 12, 2021