Nanoscale magnetization and current imaging using scanning-probe magneto-thermal microscopy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a lab-accessible, nanoscale magnetic microscope that combines high spatial and temporal resolution using magneto-thermal interactions, enabling detailed observation of magnetic phenomena relevant to advanced storage technologies.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel, table-top, near-field magnetic microscope with sub-100 nm spatial resolution and sub-100 ps temporal resolution, surpassing optical diffraction limits.

Findings

Achieved 100 nm spatial resolution in magnetic imaging.

Demonstrated sub-100 ps temporal resolution.

Enabled magnetization and current density imaging modalities.

Abstract

Magnetic microscopy that combines nanoscale spatial resolution with picosecond scale temporal resolution uniquely enables direct observation of the spatiotemporal magnetic phenomena that are relevant to future high-speed, high-density magnetic storage and logic technologies. Magnetic microscopes that combine these metrics has been limited to facility-level instruments. To address this gap in lab-accessible spatiotemporal imaging, we develop a time-resolved near-field magnetic microscope based on magneto-thermal interactions. We demonstrate both magnetization and current density imaging modalities, each with spatial resolution that far surpasses the optical diffraction limit. In addition, we study the near-field and time-resolved characteristics of our signal and find that our instrument possesses a spatial resolution on the scale of 100 nm and a temporal resolution below 100 ps. Our results demonstrate an accessible and comparatively low-cost approach to nanoscale spatiotemporal magnetic microscopy in a table-top form to aid the science and technology of dynamic magnetic devices with complex spin textures.