R&D: Versatile Method for Exploration of Magnetooptical Properties of Polar Saturated and Unsaturated Ferromagnetic Metallic Thin Films

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics has published an article written by Rajkumar Patra, Physikalisch-Astronomische Fakultät, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena, Helmholtzweg 4,, Jena, Jena, Thüringen, 07743, Germany, Apoorva Sharma, Institute of Physics, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Physics Department / Semiconductor Physic, Reichenhainer Straße 70, Chemnitz, 09107, Germany, Hartmut Stöcker, Institute of Experimental Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Akademiestraße 6, Freiberg, Sachsen, 09599, Germany, Manuel Monecke, Institute of Solid State Physics, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Reichenhainer Straße 70, Jena, Thüringen, 09107, Germany, Georgeta Salvan, Institut fur Physik, Technische Universitat Chemnitz, Reichenhainer Straße 70, Chemnitz, 09107, Germany, Roland Mattheis, and Heidemarie Schmidt, Leibniz-Institut fur Photonische Technologien, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, Jena, Thüringen, 07745, Germany.

Abstract: “Polar unsaturated ferromagnetic thin films are promising for low-power and high-speed nonvolatile resistive and optical memories. Here we measure the magnetooptical (MO) response of polar unsaturated Co₉₀Fe₁₀ and Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀ thin films in the spectral range from 400 nm to 1000 nm using vector magnetooptical generalized ellipsometry (VMOGE) in an out-of-plane applied magnetic field of ±0.4 T where magnetization of the ferromagnetic (FM) thin film is not saturated. Using Magneto- Optical Simulation software (MagOpS®), we extract the complex MO coupling constant (Q) of the polar unsaturated FM thin films from difference spectra of VMOGE data recorded in polar configuration at Hz = +0.4 T and at Hz = −0.4 T. Presented approach opens a path to determine Q of both polar saturated and polar unsaturated FM thin films for simulating the MO properties of application-relevant optical memory multilayer structures.“