Optical and magneto-optical characterization of TbFeCo thin films in trilayer structures

Abstract

A series of TbFeCo films ranging in thickness from 100 to 800 Å have been deposited in trilayer structures on silicon wafer substrates, with Si3N4 being employed as the dielectric material. These films have been characterized both optically and magneto-optically by variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometry, normal angle of incidence reflectometry, and normal angle of incidence Kerr spectroscopy. From these measurements, the optical constants n and k have been determined for the TbFeCo films, as well as the magneto-optical constants Q1 and Q2. Results are presented that demonstrate the lack of dependence of these constants on the thickness of the TbFeCo film, and which can be used for calculating the expected optical and magneto-optical response of any multilayer structure containing similar TbFeCo films.