Magnetization Analysis by Spin-Polarized Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Teruo Kohashi

doi:10.1155/2018/2420747

Abstract

Spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy (spin SEM) is a method for observing magnetic-domain structures by detecting the spin polarization of secondary electrons. It has several unique abilities such as detection of full magnetization orientation and high-spatial-resolution measurement. Several spin-SEM experiments have demonstrated that it is a promising method for studying various types of magnetic materials and devices. This review paper presents several spin-SEM observations to demonstrate the capability and potential of spin SEM.

Highlights

Direct visualization of magnetization distribution has provided much information about the basic characteristics of magnetic materials, which has promoted the development and improvement of magnetic devices
Magnetic force microscopy detects the gradient of a stray magnetic field above the sample surface using probe microscopy
A probe electron beam is focused on the sample surface, causing secondary electrons to be emitted from the sample

Summary

Introduction

Direct visualization of magnetization distribution has provided much information about the basic characteristics of magnetic materials, which has promoted the development and improvement of magnetic devices. Several methods for observing magnetization use microscopy. Polarized light microscopy uses the Kerr effect, in which the polarization of the light changes due to the magnetization of the sample. Spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy (spin SEM) [1,2,3,4,5,6] is used for detecting the spin polarization of secondary electrons from ferromagnetic samples. A probe electron beam is focused on the sample surface, causing secondary electrons to be emitted from the sample. Magnetic-domain images are obtained by scanning the sample surface with respect to the probe electron beam. This magnetic-domain imaging by spin SEM has several excellent characteristics. Several spin-SEM observations are introduced to demonstrate the capability and potential of spin SEM

Spin Polarization Detector

Spin-SEM Observations

Conclusion

Conflicts of Interest