0000000000147459
AUTHOR
Frederik Wegelin
Magnetization dynamics in polycrystalline Permalloy and epitaxial Co platelets observed by time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy
We studied the dynamic magnetization response in rectangular polycrystalline Permalloy and also epitaxial Co structures (lateral sizes comprised tens of microns at a thickness of tens of nanometers) during the action of a magnetic field pulse, using time-resolved X-ray photoemission electron microscopy with a time resolution of 10 ps. In the case of Permalloy platelets the restoring torque that is necessary for the stroboscopic image acquisition is provided by the Landau flux closure structure representing a minimum of the free energy. We investigated the dynamic response of 90° Neel domain walls. The main results are: the maximum velocity of the domain wall is 1.5 × 104 m/s, the intrinsic …
Soft X-ray photoelectron microscopy used for the characterization of diamond, a-C and CN , thin films
Abstract This article gives an overview about the application of X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM) used for the analysis of carbon thin films. We present the results of an X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) study of CVD diamond, a-C and CNx films on Si (100) as well as a defect analysis of a hard disc scratch test. The sp2/sp3 ratio of the carbon films was determined and mapped in the electron micrographs, which show localized defects in the surface.
Magnetization dynamics in microscopic spin-valve elements: Shortcomings of the macrospin picture
We have studied ultrafast magnetodynamics in micropatterned spin-valve structures using time-resolved x-ray photoemission electron microscopy combined with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Exciting the system with ultrafast field pulses of $250\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}$ width, we find the dynamic response of the free layer to fall into two distinctly different contributions. On the one hand, it exhibits localized spin wave modes that strongly depend on the shape of the micropattern. A field pulse applied perpendicular to the exchange bias field along the diagonal of a square pattern leads to the excitation of a standing spin wave mode with two nodes along the field direction.…
Self-Trapping of Magnetic Oscillation Modes in Landau Flux-Closure Structures
We investigated the magnetodynamics in rectangular Permalloy platelets by means of time-resolved x-ray photoemission microscopy. 10 nm thick platelets of size 16 x 32 microm were excited by an oscillatory field along the short side of the sample with a fundamental frequency of 500 MHz and considerable contributions of higher harmonics. Under the influence of the oscillatory field, the Néel wall in the initial classical Landau pattern shifts away from the center, corresponding to an induced magnetic moment perpendicular to the exciting field. This phenomenon is explained by a self-trapping effect of the dominating spin-wave mode when the system is excited just below the resonance frequency. …
Transient spatio-temporal domain patterns in permalloy microstructures induced by fast magnetic field pulses
The response of multidomain flux-closure structures (Landau states) in micrometer-scale magnetic thin-film elements upon fast magnetic field pulses leads to the excitation of magnetic eigenmodes and to short-lived domain patterns that do not occur in quasi-static remagnetisation. Such transient spatio-temporal patterns and particular detail features are discussed. Examples are presented for permalloy platelets of various shapes and sizes. Dynamic series of domain patterns with variable delay between field pulse and photon pulse (synchrotron radiation) have been taken using stroboscopic XMCD-PEEM. Precessional remagnetisation starts at the domain boundaries. The damped precessional motion pr…
Investigating spintronics thin film systems with synchrotron radiation
Abstract Spintronics is a research field involving a wide variety of different magnetic materials. Synchrotron radiation in the VUV and soft X-ray regime is ideally suited to investigate the relationships between magnetic properties and electronic structure of spintronics thin film stacks. Complex layered structures and nanomagnets are the main building blocks for current and future spintronics applications. In this contribution we describe the study of spintronics model systems with respect to the static and dynamic behavior with an emphasis on interfaces.
Stroboscopic XMCD–PEEM imaging of standing and propagating spinwave modes in permalloy thin-film structures
Abstract Using synchrotron-based stroboscopic photoemission electron microscopy with X-ray circular dichroism as contrast method, we have investigated the high-frequency response of permalloy thin-film structures. Standing precessional modes have been studied in rectangular elements (16 × 32 μm 2 , 10 nm thick) with a high time resolution of about 15 ps in the low- α mode of BESSY. With increasing amplitude of the applied magnetic AC field the particle is driven from an initial symmetric Landau flux-closure state into an asymmetric state and finally into a single-domain state magnetized perpendicular to the applied field H AC . The electromagnetic microwave field thus can induces a net magn…
Nondestructive full-field imaging XANES-PEEM analysis of cosmic grains
For chemical analysis of submicron particles, mass spectrometric methods have the disadvantage of being destructive. Thus, a nondestructive elemental and chemical mapping with a high spatial resolution prior to mass analysis is extremely valuable to precharacterize the sample. Here, first results are presented of combined XANES (x-ray absorption near-edge structure) and PEEM (photoemission electron microscopy) measurements on a cosmic grain fraction from the Murchison meteorite. This nondestructive full-field imaging method is well suited for a quantitative analysis and for a preselection prior to detailed mass spectrometric investigations with isotopic resolution/selectivity. A spectral un…