Determination of the distribution of transverse magnetic anisotropy in thin films from the second harmonic of Kerr signal

A. Garca-Arribas, E. Fernndez, I. Orue, and J. M. Barandiaran Citation: Applied Physics Letters 103, 142411 (2013); doi: 10.1063/1.4824647 View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4824647 View Table of Contents: http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/103/14?ver=pdfcov Published by the AIP Publishing

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APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 103, 142411 (2013)

Determination of the distribution of transverse magnetic anisotropy in thin films from the second harmonic of Kerr signal
ndez,1 I. Orue,2 and J. M. Barandiaran1 A. Garc a-Arribas,1,a) E. Ferna
nica and BCMaterials, Universidad del Pa Departamento de Electricidad y Electro s Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain 2 SGIker, Universidad del Pa s Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
1

(Received 11 July 2013; accepted 24 September 2013; published online 3 October 2013) We describe a method to determine the magnetic anisotropy distribution in thin lms based on Kerr magnetometry, well adapted for single micro- and nanostructures. When the sample is excited by an ac eld of small amplitude, for each value of a longitudinal dc eld H, the second harmonic of the Kerr signal gives the contribution of the corresponding transverse anisotropy eld H k H to the anisotropy distribution. The method is tested on a Permalloy-based multilayer microstructure, revealing two anisotropy contributions, one of them deviated from the perfect transverse direction. This conrms and extends a previous characterization performed by far more sophisticated C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4824647] methods. V

Magnetic thin lms are used in a growing number of well-established technological areas, such as microsensors and high frequency devices, and are also key components in novel spintronic applications like domain-wall logic,1 racetrack memories,2 and spin nanooscillators,3 to name some. The precise characterization of all aspects of the magnetic behavior of the lms is fundamental to understand and improve their properties and usefulness. Special attention has to be paid to the magnetic anisotropy present in the lm, since it largely determines both its static and dynamic magnetic behavior. Many of the aforementioned applications make use of soft magnetic materials, predominantly Permalloy (Py). In bulk state, Py displays a vanishingly small intrinsic (magnetocrystalline) anisotropy,4 which is ascribed to the compensation between the anisotropies with opposite sign of Fe (K1 4:7 104 J=m3 ) and Ni (K1 0:5 104 J=m3 ), although its fundamental origin is still controversial.5 When Py is prepared in the form of a thin lm by physical vapor deposition methods, a certain degree of magnetic anisotropy develops regardless of the preparation conditions,6 due to a self-shadowing effect on the growing lm caused by the oblique incidence of the incoming atoms over the substrate.7 This effect can be exploited to tailor the magnetic properties of the lm by intentionally tilting the substrate with respect to the plane of the source. Using the data of a recent work on Py lms,8 one can estimate that each degree of inclined incidence causes the anisotropy constant to increase by approximately 135 J/m3. This great sensitivity to the deposition angle largely complicates the obtention of anisotropy-free lms. On the other hand, some applications require a well dened uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, as is the case, for instance, of magnetic sensors based on the MagnetoImpedance (MI) effect.9 In Py-based thin lms, this can be achieved at the preparation time by oblique deposition or, more frequently, by depositing the lm under the presence
a)

of a magnetic eld, possibly followed by a eld-annealing. However, the resulting effective magnetic anisotropy produced in the sample inevitably exhibits a certain spread in both intensity values and directions, caused primarily by shape effects (through non-uniform demagnetizing elds), imperfections at the borders and surfaces, and possible local variations in the applied eld and inhomogeneities in sample composition. The determination of the anisotropy distribution is paramount to fully characterize the magnetic behavior of the samples and to rene the preparation and processing methods to improve their MI properties. Also, accurate mathematical descriptions of the MI response usually require the introduction of a realistic distribution of anisotropy within the model.10 Conversely, the analysis of MI measurements can be used as a tool to determine the distribution of anisotropies.11 Given that the magnetic anisotropy is a decisive parameter, signicant effort has been made to accurately determine it in thin lms. Direct torque measurements and different types of methods based on the analysis of the magnetization curves with different levels of complexity and performance have been proposed.1215 When a distribution of anisotropies exists in the sample, all the methods mentioned above provide either the strongest or the mean value of the distribution, without giving information about its actual size and shape. Mathematically, the distribution of anisotropies can be expressed by a function PH k that gives the probability of a given anisotropy value K being present in the sample. Hk is the anisotropy eld dened as H k 2K =l0 Ms , where Ms is the saturation magnetization. For each Hk, a magnetic eld H applied perpendicularly to the easy axis produces a magnetization Mk H given by 8 H < Ms k when H < H k ; (1) M k H H :M when H  H k s so the total magnetization of the sample is

Electronic mail: alf@we.lc.ehu.es

0003-6951/2013/103(14)/142411/4/$30.00

103, 142411-1

C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC V

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M H

Mk H PH k dH k PH dH Ms H
k k

Ms

1 H 1

1
H

P H k k dH : Hk

(2)

Experimentally, the intensity distribution of uniaxial anisotropies having their easy axis perpendicular to a given direction can be quantitatively determined from the magnetization curve measured along that direction, by calculating the second derivative of the magnetization with respect to the applied eld16 d2 M P H : Ms dH 2 H (3)

This procedure, although extremely simple, is usually greatly affected by the noise produced by the numerical differentiation. The smoothing necessary to clean the output of the derivative articially broadens the distribution and masks the details of a possible ne structure. Alternatively, the distribution of anisotropies can also be obtained from the second harmonic response to an ac excitation of small amplitude.17 The magnetic response of the sample biased by a dc eld Hb to a eld h of small amplitude can be expanded in a power series as   2  dM   1 h2 d M  :::: (4) MHb h MHb h  2 dH Hb 2 dH Hb If h h0 eixt , Eq. (4) can be considered the harmonic expansion of the time-varying magnetization M(t)   2  dM   eixt 1 h2 d M  ei2xt ; (5) Mt Mb h0 0  2 dH Hb 2 dH Hb where Mb MHb . M(t) being an even periodic function, its harmonic expansion is
1 X an einxt ; Mt a0 2 n0

(6)

with an being the n-th harmonic coefcient. The comparison of Eqs. (5) and (6) directly links the second harmonic component a2 with the second derivative of M(H), and a substitution in Eq. (3) results in PH 4 H h2 0 Ms a2 : (7)

According to Eq. (7), in order to measure the weight of a given value of the transverse anisotropy eld Hk in the distribution of anisotropies, we must bias the sample with a dc eld H H k , and measure the second harmonic response to an exciting eld of small amplitude.18 If the magnetic signal produced by the sample is large enough, it can be detected inductively, using a coil wrapped around the sample, a procedure which results in a much higher resolution than the second derivative method. For instance, this procedure has been used to accurately follow the evolution of the distribution of anisotropies in amorphous ribbons under applied stresses19 and in

nanocrystalline samples subjected to thermal annealings.20 It is relevant that the generation of a second harmonic caused by the magnetic non-linear response has been commonly used in extremely sensitive devices such as uxgate sensors. It has also been analyzed in magneto-impedance materials,21,22 where the eld sensitivity of the second and higher harmonics is very promising for applications.23 In thin lms, specially in patterned samples with microor nanosized lateral dimensions, due to their reduced mass, the magnitude of the magnetic signal is so small that measurements based on inductive methods are unfeasible. The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) is normally used for the magnetic characterization in those cases. A considerable number of methods have been developed for determining the anisotropy in thin lms using magneto-optical techniques.12,24,25 Obviously, the distribution of anisotropies can be obtained using the second derivative method on the MOKE hysteresis loop, although it tends to be much noisier than the inductive one, aggravating the problem stated before. Here, we propose a method for determining the anisotropy distribution based on measuring the second harmonic response of the Kerr signal to an excitation of small amplitude. The experimental set-up is based on the usual longitudinal magneto-optical arrangement commonly used to measure the Kerr hysteresis loops,26 with a laser spot focussed to a size of 20 lm. The sample is magnetized through the dc eld provided by a pair of Helmholtz coils fed by a bipolar power supply, which is swept stepwise in forward and reverse directions among values that magnetically saturate the sample (up to 1 kA/m). The magnitude of the dc eld steps determines the neness at which the anisotropy eld values are resolved in the measured distribution. The ac excitation is produced by a second pair of coils, collinear with the previous ones, supplied by a signal generator. The amplitude of the excitation must be selected to be large enough to produce a measurable signal. Often, it is larger than the step used for sweeping the dc eld so the output is averaged among neighbor data points, producing an experimental broadening of the distribution. Thus, the resolution and denition of the distribution obtained are often in compromise. The frequency of the ac excitation is not decisive. Unlike the case of inductive measurements where higher frequencies produce larger signals, the only practical requisite here is that it remains below the cut-off frequency of the detecting photodiode (30 kHz in our set-up). The output of the photodetector is routed to a dynamic signal analyzer (Agilent 35670A) that determines the amplitude of the second harmonic component through a numerical Fast Fourier Transform. The method has been tested on a Py-based microsized sample consisting of three 170 nm thick Fe20Ni80 layers alternated with 6 nm thick Ti layers. This multilayer structure has demonstrated the ability to produce excellent MI performance by combining the magnetic softness of thin FeNi layers with the increased thickness necessary for the skin effect to become effective at moderate frequencies.27 The material was deposited onto a Si wafer by sputtering under an applied magnetic eld to produce a well-dened in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The sample was patterned by the lift-off method into a rectangle 2 mm long and 100 lm

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FIG. 1. (a) MOKE hysteresis loop of a multilayer [Fe20Ni80(170 nm)/ Ti(6 nm)]2/Fe20Ni80(170 nm) structure. (b) Anisotropy distribution deduced from the hysteresis loop by the second derivative method (Eq. (3)).

wide. Careful alignment assured that the direction of the induced anisotropy became transverse to the long direction of the sample. The sample was subjected to a post-deposition thermal annealing at 200 8C for 1 h in a 1 T magnetic eld, in order to reinforce the induced transverse anisotropy. Figure 1 shows the MOKE hysteresis loop measured in the sample with the magnetic eld applied along the sample length. It has been purposely taken close to the edge of the sample to include a richer magnetic structure. The shape of the loop, displaying large remanence and coercivity, hints at the contribution of large closure domains, as conrmed by the image shown in Fig. 2. It was taken at the remanent state

using a Kerr microscope (Evico Magnetics GmbH, Germany), adjusted to provide contrast between sample areas having the magnetization component along the sample length in opposite directions. It also reveals well-dened transverse domains, tilted about 4 from the transversal direction. Certainly, despite the efforts to precisely align the magnetic eld during the deposition, patterning, and thermal annealing, a small deviation is conceivable. Besides, when the induced anisotropy is combined with the longitudinal shape anisotropy, if they are not perfectly perpendicular, the effective easy axis tilts by an amount that depends on the relative strength of both anisotropies.28 Depending on the geometric aspect ratio of the sample, this angle can become rather large as evidenced by Nakai and co-workers.29 The bottom graph in Figure 1 shows the results obtained with the method of the second derivative (Eq. (3)) for the anisotropy distribution. After each numerical derivative, a smoothing among the nearest ve points is performed. While it is evident that this curve reects the characteristics of the magnetization loop, very limited insight can be obtained about the features of the anisotropy in the sample. The distribution of transverse anisotropy obtained by the second harmonic of the Kerr signal is shown in Fig. 3. The dc eld is swept with a variable step size, which is ner (4 A/m) in the peak regions. The four peaks corresponding to a full loop sweep are displayed. A 900 Hz excitation ac eld with a 20 A/m (rms) amplitude is used, which is larger than the dc step, so some smoothing effect is expected, equivalent to having an instrumental broadening of the order of the excitation amplitude. The measurement of the second harmonic at the signal analyzer is averaged 20 times for each eld point to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. The distribution is measured at exactly the same place in the sample as the loop shown in Fig. 1. In contrast to the second derivative method, in the distribution obtained from the second harmonic, the peaks are very well dened with a very small hysteresis. This is because, in the second harmonic method, large domain wall movements, produced when stepping the bias eld, do not contribute to the signal. According to the theory, the measured curve should match the distribution of intensities of

FIG. 2. Domain structure in the remanent state obtained by Kerr microscopy. The borders of the 100 lm wide sample are clearly seen at the top and at the bottom of the gure.

FIG. 3. Anisotropy distribution obtained from the second harmonic of the Kerr response using the method proposed here. The inset shows the decomposition of the measured distribution in three separated contributions.

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anisotropies with easy axes perpendicular to the direction of the measuring eld. However, a single anisotropy not perfectly perpendicular produces a similar apparent distribution.16 It is therefore not possible, in principle, to establish unambiguously if the result is due either to a distribution of intensities of perfectly transverse anisotropies, or to the existence of easy axes deviating a certain angle from the perpendicular, or to a mixture of both. However, thanks to the resolution achieved by the second harmonic method, a deeper insight is possible. As shown in the inset of Fig. 3, the peaks of the measured distribution are satisfactorily tted using three gaussian contributions. This strongly suggests the existence of two main anisotropy constants corresponding to anisotropy eld values of 208 A/m (contribution G1) and 241 A/m (contributions G2 and G3). The width of the contributions G1 and G2 matches the experimental broadening expected for the amplitude of the excitation used in the experiment, so they most probably correspond to perfectly transversal anisotropies with welldened values. The broader G3 contribution is probably due to not-perfectly transversal easy axes. The width of the apparent distribution produced by an anisotropy not aligned with the transverse direction can be quantied using the Stoner-Wolfart model to calculate the magnetization curve and then Eq. (3) to obtain the distribution. Using these results, we can conclude that the width of contribution G3 corresponds to an easy axis tilted 4.5 . If G1 and G2 were also produced by tilted anisotropies, their widths would only be consistent with deviations from the perpendicular not greater than 1 . The four peaks measured in the full dc eld sweep are not identical due to small hysteresis effects and the noise that affects the measurement. However, all peaks can be tted in a similar fashion and three anisotropy contributions are needed to account for the broadening at the base (G3), the narrow top (G2), and the shoulder that makes the peak asymmetric (G1), although best-t parameters vary slightly. Evidently, the contribution G3 is congruous with the tilted magnetic domains observed in the sample. The analysis of the results obtained with the method presented here not only reveals this feature but also uncovers the existence of other perfectly transverse anisotropies. Different anisotropies could have been generated during the fabrication (deposition) and processing (patterning and annealing) of the sample, and further investigation is needed to clarify this point. We have presented a very powerful tool to do so, demonstrating that a relatively simple experiment, which uses a quasi-conventional Kerr set-up, can produce an insightful description of the conguration of the anisotropy in thin lms even in the case of a single microstructure. Besides, the potential of this method can be still signicantly improved using state of the art equipment,30 so we believe that it will help to enhance the performance of magnetic micro- and nanodevices.

We acknowledge the nancial support from the Spanish (Project No. MAT2011-27573-C04-03) and Basque (Projects Etortek-Actimat and Saiotek-PE12UN025) Governments. Dr. J. Feutchwanger provided useful comments.
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