Scanning near-field observation of magnetic domains in Pt/Co thin films and their development as a function of applied field

Abstract

We propose a scanning near-field technique to study magneto-optical (MO) properties of magnetic multilayered thin films. The experiments are carried out using an integrated far-field and near-field microscope. Gold coated fiber tips are used as scanning probes for both STM and SNOM signal collection and the tip to sample separation is controlled within the tunneling distance. We additionally placed a magnetic field coil around the sample holder, which produces a DC field up to 1 kOe. This allows us to study MO properties of magnetic thin films as a function of applied field for both far field Kerr observation and scanning near-field imaging.