Simultaneous measurement of the exchange parameter and saturation magnetization using propagating spin waves

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method using Brillouin light scattering to simultaneously measure exchange interaction and saturation magnetization in ultrathin ferromagnetic films, improving accuracy without prior thickness knowledge.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel technique that combines wavevector-selective Brillouin light scattering with a simultaneous fit of dispersion branches to accurately determine magnetic parameters.

Findings

Effective measurement of exchange parameter and saturation magnetization in ultrathin films.

No need for prior knowledge of dead layer thickness.

Applicable to industrial magnetic memory devices.

Abstract

The exchange interaction in ferromagnetic ultra-thin films is a critical parameter in magnetization-based storage and logic devices, yet the accurate measurement of it remains a challenge. While a variety of approaches are currently used to determine the exchange parameter, each has its limitations, and good agreement among them has not been achieved. To date, neutron scattering, magnetometry, Brillouin light scattering, spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Kerr microscopy have all been used to determine the exchange parameter. Here we present a novel method that exploits the wavevector selectivity of Brillouin light scattering to measure the spin wave dispersion in both the backward volume and Damon-Eshbach orientations. The exchange, saturation magnetization, and magnetic thickness are then determined by a simultaneous fit of both dispersion branches with general spin wave theory without any prior knowledge of the thickness of a magnetic "dead layer". In this work, we demonstrate the strength of this technique for ultrathin metallic films, typical of those commonly used in industrial applications for magnetic random-access memory.