Ultrasensitive transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements by means of effective polarization change detection

We perform a detailed comparative study of conventional transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) measurements and a methodology that utilizes an effective polarization detection scheme for mixed s- and p-polarized incoming light. To test the ultimate sensitivity of both methods, we also desig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Applied physics, 2017-05, Vol.50 (23), p.23
Main Authors: Oblak, E, Riego, P, Fallarino, L, Martínez-de-Guerenu, A, Arizti, F, Berger, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
magnetic hysteresis
magnetic thin film
magneto-optical Kerr effect
magneto-optics
polarization optics
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Summary:We perform a detailed comparative study of conventional transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) measurements and a methodology that utilizes an effective polarization detection scheme for mixed s- and p-polarized incoming light. To test the ultimate sensitivity of both methods, we also design a series of specialized samples in which the T-MOKE signal of a Co-film is artificially reduced by means of a Ag overcoat of varying thickness. We find that the effective polarization detection scheme leads to a more than 30-fold increase of the T-MOKE signal and signal-to-noise ratio, even under general operation conditions which were not individually optimized. This allowed for the observation of T-MOKE hysteresis loops of Co-films that were buried under 80 nm of Ag, for which the MOKE signal was only 1/600 of that for an uncoated Co-film. In comparison, conventional T-MOKE measurements did not succeed for Ag overcoats thicker than 40 nm.
ISSN:0022-3727
1361-6463
DOI:10.1088/1361-6463/aa6df2