Soft x-ray resonant magneto-optical Kerr effect as a depth-sensitive probe of magnetic heterogeneity: A simulation approach

Abstract

Articles you may be interested inWe report a noticeable depth sensitivity of soft x-ray resonant magneto-optical Kerr effect able to resolve depth-varying magnetic heterostructures in ultrathin multilayer films. For various models of depth-varying magnetization orientations in an ultrathin Co layer of realistic complex layered structures, we have calculated the Kerr rotation, ellipticity, intensity spectra versus grazing incidence angle , and their hysteresis loops at different values of for various photon energies h 's near the Co resonance regions. It is found from the simulation results that the Kerr effect has a much improved depth sensitivity and that its sensitivity varies remarkably with and h in the vicinity of the resonance regions. These properties originate from a rich variety of wave interference effects superimposed with noticeable features of the refractive and absorptive optical effects near the resonance regions. Consequently, these allow us to resolve depth-varying magnetizations and their reversals varying with depth in a single magnetic layer and allow us to distinguish interface magnetism from the bulk properties in multilayer films. In this paper, the depth sensitivity of the Kerr effect with an atomic-scale resolution is demonstrated and discussed in details in several manners with the help of model simulations for various depth-varying spin configurations.

Resonant soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet magnetic scattering in nanostructured magnetic materials: Fundamentals and directions

“…However, like in the visible regime [36], calculations [37,38] and measurements [37,39] confirm that soft x-ray reflectance measurements, e.g., are sensitive to magnetic layers much thinner than could be resolved according to this Fourier limit.…”

Material Selective Sensitivity of Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in NiFe/Au/Co/Au Periodic Multilayers

“…The depth sensitivity of longitudinal Kerr effect in Fe/Cr/Fe structure was demonstrated by Nývlt [9]. The depth sensitivity of soft X-ray resonant MO Kerr effect was reported by Lee et al [10] and Kim et al [11]. Moreover, energy adjustment of the X-ray resonant magnetic scattering can give element specific sensitivity [12].…”

Direct in-depth determination of a complex magnetic configuration in an exchange-coupled bilayer with perpendicular and in-plane anisotropy

“…Typically, this technique is performed by analyzing the energy dependence of the reflectivity at different angular or scattering vector values, [3][4][5][6][7][8] whereas recently strong interest has emerged in the analysis of the angular dependence of the reflectivity close to an absorption edge. [9][10][11][12][13] This turns out to be particularly relevant in the soft x-ray range where the reflectivity measured at large scattering angles is sensitive to out-of-plane magnetization. 14 Recently, soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity (SXRMR) has been used to resolve the in-depth magnetic structure with in-plane and perpendicular components.…”