A Computational Model of the Longitudinal Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect of Co/Cu/Co Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Thin Films

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event A Computational Model of the Longitudinal Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect of Co/Cu/Co Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Thin Films Cyerra L. Prevo1*, Kathleen B. Oolman2* and Virginia O. Lorenz2* 1 Grambling State University, United States 2 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States We develop a computational model of the longitudinal magneto-optic Kerr Effect (L-MOKE) of a Co/Cu/Co synthetic antiferromagnet. The model is based on analytic formulae including the magneto-optic Fresnel coefficients and multiple reflections, written in MATLAB. This project continues work done to obtain a picture of spin-orbit interaction induced magnetization switching in thin multi-layered systems using normal and synthetic antiferromagnetic metals. We first replicate the L-MOKE response of a 10-layer 5.58Co/5Cu/5.58Co ferromagnetic system from the literature to verify accuracy. The model is then adjusted to calculate the L-MOKE from a tri-layer synthetic antiferromagnetic system composed of Co/Cu/Co. This model gives an approximation of the L-MOKE response of synthetic antiferromagnetic thin films. The results of this project will be useful in the determination of the origins of spin-orbit--interaction-based phenomena by comparing with experimental results, towards the development of next-generation spintronic devices. Acknowledgements NSF Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (I-MRSEC)