Simultaneous measurement of the surface and bulk magnetization in thin magnetic films

We describe an apparatus for the simultaneous measurement of the transverse and longitudinal linear magneto-optic Kerr effects and the transverse second-harmonic magneto-optic Kerr effect. We have used this system to study low frequency bulk and surface magnetization loops, and high frequency response to 100 ps impulse fields for 70 nm thick Ni80Fe20 films. Magnetization loops show that the surface and bulk magnetization fields in these films respond essentially identically to external fields. Similarly, the dynamic response of the films to 100 ps magnetic field impulses also shows simultaneous rotation of the surface and bulk magnetization. Finally, we use the system to produce 8 mum resolution (at the diffraction limit for our ellipsometric optical geometry) images of the magnetization spatial and temporal response. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.