Advanced data analysis procedure for hard x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity discussed for Pt thin film samples of various complexity

Abstract

Abstract X-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity (XRMR) is a powerful method to determine the optical, structural and magnetic depth profiles of a variety of thin film systems. Here, we investigate samples of different complexity all measured at the Pt L 3 absorption edge to determine the optimal procedure for the analysis of the experimental XRMR curves, especially for nontrivial bi- and multilayer samples that include differently bonded Pt from layer to layer. The software tool ReMagX is used to fit these data and model the magnetooptic depth profiles based on a highly adaptable layer stack which is modified to be a more precise and physically consistent representation of the real multilayer system. Various fitting algorithms, iterative optimization approaches and a detailed analysis of the asymmetry ratio features as well as χ 2 (goodness of fit) landscapes are utilized to improve the agreement between measurements and simulations. We present a step-by-step analysis procedure tailored to the Pt thin film systems to take advantage of the excellent magnetic sensitivity and depth resolution of XRMR.