Magnetic force microscopy study on amorphous TbFe thin films

By using magnetic force microscope (MFM), honeycomb domain structures were found in the as-deposited amorphous TbFe thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The domain structures were composed of many small white round dots embedded in the black matrix, which formed an irregular hexagonal pattern with some deformation. MFM measurements were performed with various scanning heights and opposite tip magnetization directions. The z component of both the magnetization and the stray field of the dots were determined quantitatively within the point probe approximation. Charge contrast and susceptibility contrast were separated by forming the difference and sum of two images with opposite tip magnetization. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.