Stripline ͑SL͒, vector network analyzer ͑VNA͒, and pulsed inductive microwave magnetometer ͑PIMM͒ techniques were used to measure the ferromagnetic resonance ͑FMR͒ linewidth for a series of Permalloy films with thicknesses of 50 and 100 nm. The SL-FMR measurements were made for fixed frequencies from 1.5 to 5.5 GHz. The VNA-FMR and PIMM measurements were made for fixed in-plane fields from 1.6 to 8 kA/ m ͑20-100 Oe͒. The results provide a confirmation, lacking until now, that the linewidths measured by these three methods are consistent and compatible. In the field format, the linewidths are a linear function of frequency, with a slope that corresponds to a nominal Landau-Lifshitz phenomenological damping parameter ␣ value of 0.007 and zero frequency intercepts in the 160-320 A / m ͑2-4 Oe͒ range. In the frequency format, the corresponding linewidth versus frequency response shows a weak upward curvature at the lowest measurement frequencies and a leveling off at high frequencies.

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A scanning microwave microscope (SMM) for spatially resolved capacitance measurements in the attofarad-to-femtofarad regime is presented. The system is based on the combination of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a performance network analyzer (PNA). For the determination of absolute capacitance values from PNA reflection amplitudes, a calibration sample of conductive gold pads of various sizes on a SiO(2) staircase structure was used. The thickness of the dielectric SiO(2) staircase ranged from 10 to 200 nm. The quantitative capacitance values determined from the PNA reflection amplitude were compared to control measurements using an external capacitance bridge. Depending on the area of the gold top electrode and the SiO(2) step height, the corresponding capacitance values, as measured with the SMM, ranged from 0.1 to 22 fF at a noise level of ~2 aF and a relative accuracy of 20%. The sample capacitance could be modeled to a good degree as idealized parallel plates with the SiO(2) dielectric sandwiched in between. The cantilever/sample stray capacitance was measured by lifting the tip away from the surface. By bringing the AFM tip into direct contact with the SiO(2) staircase structure, the electrical footprint of the tip was determined, resulting in an effective tip radius of ~60 nm and a tip-sample capacitance of ~20 aF at the smallest dielectric thickness.

We show that the magnetization dynamics of soft ferromagnetic thin films can be tuned using rare-earth (RE) dopants. Low concentrations (2 to 10%) of Tb in 50 nm Ni 81 Fe 19 films are found to increase the Gilbert magnetic damping parameter over two orders of magnitude without great effect on easy axis coercivity or saturation magnetization. Comparison with Gd dopants indicates that the orbital character of the Tb moment is important for transferring magnetic energy to the lattice. Structural transformations from the crystalline to the amorphous state, observed over the first 2%-10% of RE doping, may play a contributing but not sufficient role in damping in these films. The approach demonstrated here shows promise for adjusting the dynamical response, from underdamped to critically damped, in thin film materials for magnetic devices Index Terms-Magnetization dynamics, Ni-Fe alloys, rare-earth.