Observation of the transverse second-harmonic magneto-optic Kerr effect from Ni81Fe19 thin film structures

T. M. Crawford, C. T. Rogers, T. J. Silva, Y. K. Kim

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23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report second-harmonic magneto-optic Kerr measurements on air-exposed, polycrystalline Ni81Fe19 thin films, ranging in thickness from 1 nm to 2 μm, on Al2O3 coated Si (001). For samples thicker than 20 nm, in the transverse Kerr geometry, we observe a factor of 4 change in second-harmonic intensity upon magnetization reversal. For thin samples, we observe interference between second-harmonic fields from the various interfaces and deterioration of ferromagnetism in the 1 and 2 nm films. Modeling suggests that the Ni81Fe19/Al2O3 interface has a larger second-order susceptibility than the air/Ni81Fe19 surface.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1573-1575
Number of pages3
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume68
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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