Switchable-magnetisation planar probe MFM sensor

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel switchable-magnetization planar probe for magnetic force microscopy, enabling enhanced control and imaging of complex magnetic behaviors at nanoscale resolution.

Contribution

It presents a new planar tip-on-chip probe design for SM-MFM, allowing for flexible functionalization and improved magnetic imaging capabilities.

Findings

Successfully imaged inhomogeneous magnetic domains in LaMnO3

Achieved better than 10 nm spatial resolution

Demonstrated control of tip magnetization via microscale current pathway

Abstract

We present an alternative switching-magnetization magnetic force microscopy (SM- MFM) method using planar tip-on-chip probes. Unlike traditional needle-like tips, the planar probe approach integrates a microdevice near the tip apex with dedicated functionality. Its 1 mm x 1 mm planar surface paves the way for freedom in ultra thin-film engineering and micro-/nano-tailoring for application-oriented tip functionalization. Here, we form a microscale current pathway near the tip end to control tip magnetisation. The chip like probe or planar probe, was applied to study the complex magnetic behaviour of epitaxial transition metal oxide perovskite LaMnO3, which was previously shown to behave as complex material with domains associated with superpara-, antiferro- and ferromagnetism. To this end we successfully imaged an inhomogeneous distribution of weak ferromagnetic islands with a resolution better than 10 nm.