Electrical detection of magnetic circular dichroism: application to magnetic microscopy in ultra-thin ferromagnetic films

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel electrical magnetic microscopy technique combining magnetic circular dichroism and the Seebeck effect, demonstrating higher sensitivity than Kerr magnetometry for ultra-thin ferromagnetic films, aiding the study of 2D magnetic materials.

Contribution

The work presents a new electrical detection method for magnetic circular dichroism that enhances sensitivity in ultra-thin ferromagnetic films, suitable for two-dimensional magnetic materials.

Findings

Electrical detection of MCD is more sensitive than Kerr magnetometry.

The method is effective for ultra-thin ferromagnetic films.

Potential for studying emergent 2D ferromagnetic materials.

Abstract

Imaging the magnetic configuration of thin-films has been a long-standing area of research. Since a few years, the emergence of two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials calls for innovation in the field of magnetic imaging. As the magnetic moments are extremely small, standard techniques like SQUID, torque magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy and Kerr effect microscopy are challenging and often lead to the detection of parasitic magnetic contributions or spurious effects. In this work, we report a new magnetic microscopy technique based on the combination of magnetic circular dichroism and Seebeck effect in semiconductor/ferromagnet bilayers. We implement this method with perpendicularly magnetized (Co/Pt) multilayers sputtered on Ge (111). We further show that the electrical detection of MCD is more sensitive than the Kerr magnetometry, especially in the ultra-thin film regime, which makes it particularly promising for the study of emergent two-dimensional ferromagnetic materials.