Micromagnetic simulation of domain structure in thin permalloy films with in-plane and perpendicular anisotropy

Abstract

We investigate the domain structure formation and magnetization processes in thin permalloy films with in-plane and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by using micromagnetic simulation. We show that the films of thicknesses less than a critical value Lcr are in the monodomain state, and their magnetization processes are specified by the in-plane anisotropy. Above the critical thickness Lcr, the perpendicular anisotropy dominates, leading to the formation of the stripe domain structure that significantly complicates the magnetization reversal. The values of the critical thickness, parameters of the domain structure, and the saturation field obtained from the micromagnetic simulations are compared with the corresponding values calculated using analytical expressions derived by Murayama in the framework of the domain structures theory.