Scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis: An update

Abstract

Over the past ten years the technique of scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) has rapidly evolved from a scientific curiosity to a useful analytical tool for looking at a material's magnetic microstructure. Several reviews of the technique have been published elsewhere. SEMPA has been successfully used to analyze various technological problems such as: noise in magnetic and magneto-optical recording media, domain wall motion in thin film recording heads, and domain structures in small Permalloy shapes. Basic science applications of SEMPA include quantitative studies of the influence of the surface on the structure of magnetic domains and domain walls, and studies of magnetic microstructures in ultra-thin (0.1 - 1 nm) ferromagnetic films. Many current applications of SEMPA make use of the technique's surface sensitivity to probe the magnetism of thin films and multilayers.