Magnetic domain imaging with a scanning Kerr effect microscope

Kasiraj, P.; Shelby, R. M.; Best, J. S.; Horne, D. E.

doi:10.1109/tmag.1986.1064482

Cited by 102 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Then, differential detection of one quadrant sum from the other takes advantage of common-mode rejection while doubling the signal [44] (45 • is also the angle most sensitive to small polarization changes). In split-signal mode (one-half of the quadrant minus the other half), the polar Kerr effect is subtracted by symmetry.…”

Section: Microscope and Polarization Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stroboscopic Microscopy of Magnetic Dynamics

Freeman

Hiebert

Topics in Applied Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The enhanced capabilities of contemporary pulsed light sources have led to the reflourishing, in recent years, of ultrafast imaging of micromagnetic dynamics. Concurrently, interest in the subject has been intensified by other factors, such as the emergence of intrinsic magnetic response times as a potential limitation to the ultimate bandwidth of magnetic data storage and by increasingly powerful computer models of magnetic dynamics which call for experimental comparisons. This review contains a discussion of the experimental details behind ultrafast timeresolved magneto-optic imaging, sandwiched between a brief historical overview and a presentation of some recent results, and accompanied by an outline of some future prospects. Historical OverviewThe ongoing development of ultrafast laser technologies has made stroboscopic imaging of fast dynamics in microscopic structures very convenient. The stroboscopic, or "pump-probe" method as it is traditionally named by the optics community, has been grafted onto many different varieties of microscopy, including electron beam, scanning probe (force and tunneling), and, of course, optical (both conventional and near-field) [1,2,3,4]. Some applications of ultrafast optical microscopy are more fully developed than ultrafast scanning probe microscopies, many of which are still not too far beyond the "proof-of-principle" stage. This is largely because the development time for an ultrafast optical microscope is much shorter than that for combinations of ultrafast lasers with other imaging methods.Magnetic structures in particular have provided a major test bed for developments in ultrafast optical microscopy. The magneto-optic activity of ferromagnetic materials ideally suits them for this kind of experimental analysis. With characteristic relaxation times and oscillation periods ranging into the low picosecond range, and with domain wall widths and spin-wave wavelengths in the nanometer range, spatiotemporal investigation of these materials poses a difficult challenge for any type of microscopy. Ferroelectrics are another class with similar characteristics [5].As is often the case, the territory we explore now and find so fertile turns out to have been well surveyed by our predecessors, using the best tools of

show abstract

Section: Microscope and Polarization Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stroboscopic Microscopy of Magnetic Dynamics

Freeman

Hiebert

Topics in Applied Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…13 We can create in-plane top-hat field pulses directed along the sample ͓100͔ direction of up to 6 Oe amplitude and 2-18 ns width and with a subnanosecond rise time. These are generated by discharging a coaxial line charged to not more than 500 V through a microstrip into a 50-⍀ load.…”

Section: B Pulsed Magnetic-field Microscopy: Dynamics On the Nanosecmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domain-wall dynamics, pinning, and nucleation in ultrathin epitaxial Fe films

Cowburn¹,

Ferré

Gray³

et al. 1998

Phys. Rev. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have studied the dynamics of magnetic switching in in-plane magnetized ultrathin epitaxial Fe films by time-resolved magneto-optical magnetometry and microscopy. Experimental evidence has been found for two domain-wall pinning mechanisms: macropins and micropins. Macropins are extrinsic defects that are spatially distributed on the 10-m length scale; micropins are intrinsic defects that are spatially distributed on a much shorter length scale. Once free from macropins, domain walls even in ultrathin films show line tension effects. We report a strong dependence on the magnetization direction of the relative importance of domain nucleation processes compared with domain-wall propagation processes. In-plane magnetized films do not readily nucleate reverse domains, whereas out-of-plane magnetized films of identical morphology do. This can be understood as being due to the different demagnetizing fields and domain-wall pinning energies.

show abstract

“…Some of them use wide illumination in traditional microscope imaging schemes with television cameras as image detectors [1][2][3][4][5] while the others implement singlechannel photodetectors and focused light beams coupled with various types of scanning techniques to render images. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] In recent years various combinations of these two approaches have become popular ͑Ref. 15, and references herein͒.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, signal-to-noise ratio is of a primary importance for practice. Traditionally, either the homodyne bichannel scheme was being used to investigate the Kerr effect 7,8,[18][19][20] or the method of direct detection of weak orthogonally polarized component. 1,13,[21][22][23] Recently a new technique based on heterodyning of cross-polarized components of Zeeman laser was introduced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scanning heterodyne Kerr-effect microscope for imaging of magnetic tracks

Protopopov

Lee

Kwon

et al. 2006

Review of Scientific Instruments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Design and performance of a new type of Kerr microscope based on heterodyne cross-polarized technique is presented. Weak depolarization of the probe beam due to longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect is detected by means of heterodyne mixing of the two cross-polarized and frequency shifted waves generated by Zeeman-type He–Ne laser. In comparison with the traditional homodyne method the proposed technique has better sensitivity and spatial resolution. Experimental results of imaging service magnetic tracks on real samples of magnetic disks are presented, showing better contrast and spatial resolution with respect to the images obtained from commercial devices available in the market.

show abstract

Magnetic domain imaging with a scanning Kerr effect microscope

Cited by 102 publications

References 15 publications

Stroboscopic Microscopy of Magnetic Dynamics

Stroboscopic Microscopy of Magnetic Dynamics

Domain-wall dynamics, pinning, and nucleation in ultrathin epitaxial Fe films

Scanning heterodyne Kerr-effect microscope for imaging of magnetic tracks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About