Time-resolved scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis

Robert Frömter1,2,a), Fabian Kloodt1, Stefan Rößler1, Axel Frauen1, Philipp Staeck1, Demetrio R. Cavicchia1,b), Lars Bocklage2,3, Volker Röbisch4, Eckhard Quandt4 and Hans Peter Oepen1,2

a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: rfroemte(at)physik.uni-hamburg.de.
b)Present address: GLP Intellectual Property Office, Viale Europa Unita 171, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Appl. Phys. Lett. 108, 142401 (2016); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4945053

ABSTRACT
We demonstrate the feasibility of investigating periodically driven magnetization dynamics in a scanning electron microscope with polarization analysis based on spin-polarized low-energy electron diffraction. With the present setup, analyzing the time structure of the scattering events, we obtain a temporal resolution of 700 ps, which is demonstrated by means of imaging the field-driven 100 MHz gyration of the vortex in a soft-magnetic FeCoSiB square. Owing to the efficient intrinsic timing scheme, high-quality movies, giving two components of the magnetization simultaneously, can be recorded on the time scale of hours.

The movie shows how the static magnetization whirl in a magnetically soft structure is periodically deflected by a 100 MHz magnetic alternating field.