基于深紫外激光-光发射电子显微技术的高分辨率磁畴成像

基于磁二色效应的光发射电子显微镜磁成像技术是研究薄膜磁畴结构的一种重要研究手段,具有空间分辨率高、可实时成像以及对表面信息敏感等优点.以全固态深紫外激光(波长为177.3 nm;能量为7.0 eV)为激发光源的光发射电子显微技术相比于传统的光发射电子显微镜磁成像技术(以同步辐射光源或汞灯为激发源),摆脱了大型同步辐射光源的限制;同时又解决了当前阈激发研究中由于激发光源能量低难以实现光电子直接激发的技术难题,在实验室条件下实现了高分辨磁成像.本文首先对最新搭建的深紫外激光-光发射电子显微镜系统做了简单介绍.然后结合超高真空分子束外延薄膜沉积技术,成功实现了L10-FePt垂直磁各向异性薄膜的磁畴观测,其空间分辨率高达43.2 nm,与利用X射线作为激发源的光发射电子显微镜磁成像技术处于同一量级,为后续开展高分辨磁成像提供了便利.最后,重点介绍了在该磁成像技术方面取得的一些最新研究成果:通过引入Cr的纳米"台阶",成功设计出FePt的(001)与(111)双取向外延薄膜;并在"台阶"区域使用线偏振态深紫外激光观测到了磁线二色衬度,其强度为圆二色衬度的4.6倍.上述研究结果表明:深紫外激光-光发射电子显微镜磁成像技术在磁性薄膜/多层膜体系磁畴观测方面具备了出色的分辨能力,通过超高真空系统与分子束外延薄膜制备系统相连接,可以实现高质量单晶外延薄膜制备、超高真空原位传输和高分辨磁畴成像三位一体的功能,为未来磁性薄膜材料的研究提供了重要手段.

High resolution imaging based on photo-emission electron microscopy excited by deep ultraviolet laser

Magnetic imaging technology based on photo-emission electron microscopy(PEEM) has become an important and powerful tool for observing the magnetic domain in spintronics. The PEEM can get access to real-time imaging with high spatial resolution and is greatly sensitive to the spectroscopic information directly from the magnetic films and surfaces through photoemission process with variable excitation sources. Moreover,the breakthrough in the deep ultraviolet(DUV) laser technology makes it possible to realize domain imaging without the limitation of synchrotron radiation facilities or the direct excitation of photoelectrons due to the high enough photon energy of the source in the current threshold excitation study. In this review article, the deep ultraviolet photo-emission electron microscopy system is first introduced briefly. Then, a detailed study of the magnetic domain observation for the surface of L10-FePt films by the DUV-PEEM technique is presented,where a spatial resolution as high as 43.2 nm is successfully achieved. The above results clearly indicate that the DUV-PEEM reaches a level equivalent to the level reached by X-ray photoemission imaging technique. Finally,a series of recent progress of perpendicular FePt magnetic thin films obtained by the DUV-PEEM technique is provided in detail. For example, a stepped Cr seeding layer is used to form the large-area epitaxial FePt films with(001) and(111) two orientations, where magnetic linear dichroism(MLD) with large asymmetry is observed in the transition area of two phases. The signal of MLD is 4.6 times larger than that of magnetic circular dichroism. These results demonstrate that the magnetic imaging technology based on DUV-PEEM with excellent resolution ability will potentially become an important method to study magnetic materials in the future.