Soft X-ray phase nano-microscopy of micrometre-thick magnets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel soft X-ray phase nano-microscopy technique enabling high-resolution magnetic imaging of micrometer-thick materials, expanding the range of accessible magnetic systems beyond rare-earth magnets.

Contribution

The authors develop a soft X-ray magnetic imaging method using pre-edge phase X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism, allowing imaging of much thicker magnetic samples than previously possible.

Findings

Achieved high spatial resolution imaging of magnetic samples up to 1.7 μm thick.

Extended magnetic imaging capabilities to non-rare-earth systems.

Demonstrated potential for studying magnetic textures in spintronics and permanent magnets.

Abstract

Imaging of nanoscale magnetic textures within extended material systems is of critical importance both to fundamental research and technological applications. Whilst high resolution magnetic imaging of thin nanoscale samples is well-established with electron and soft X-ray microscopy, the extension to micrometer-thick systems with hard X-rays currently limits high resolution imaging to rare-earth magnets. Here we overcome this limitation by establishing soft X-ray magnetic imaging of micrometer-thick systems using the pre-edge phase X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism signal, thus making possible the study of a wide range of magnetic materials. By performing dichroic spectro-ptychography, we demonstrate high spatial resolution imaging of magnetic samples up to 1.7 {\mu}m thick, an order of magnitude higher than conventionally possible with absorption-based techniques. This new regime of magnetic imaging makes possible the study of extended non rare-earth systems that have until now been inaccessible, from magnetic textures for future spintronic applications to non-rare-earth permanent magnets.