Quantitative mapping of antiferromagnetic domains in metallic thin films

自旋电子学是一个新的和快速发展的领域，旨在增加自旋自由度的传统电荷为基础的电子器件（如晶体管），或自旋操纵单独。这种设备的一个突出例子是硬盘中的读头。未来存储密度和数据速率的增加需要敏感的纳米级设备来读取存储的信息。这些器件中的一个关键部件是反铁磁（AF）薄膜，通常是金属。通过对铁磁（F）薄膜的“交换偏置”现象，形成了参考存储态。然而，AF薄膜的磁性能仍然知之甚少，因为无法解决空间上的微观magnetic structure.This拟议的研究旨在开发新的模拟代码和透射电子显微镜成像方法的AF域在多晶金属薄膜在纳米尺度。磁成像和结构表征的F膜耦合到下面的AF将揭示AF磁结构的信息。这些观察将使开发的模拟代码，从而提高我们的理解AF薄金属膜的微磁性。我们计划将研究过程中开发的代码分发给感兴趣的学术和工业用户。

Spin electronics is a novel and rapidly developing field aimed at either adding the spin degree of freedom to conventional charge-based electronic devices (e.g. transistors), or spin manipulation alone. A prominent example for such devices is the read head in magnetic hard disks. Future increase in storage density and data rate requires sensitive, nano-scale devices to read the stored information. A key component in these devices is antiferromagnetic (AF) thin films, which are usually metallic. Through a unique phenomenon of 'exchange-biasing' to ferromagnetic (F) films, a reference memory state is formed. However, the magnetic properties of AF films are still poorly understood because of the inability to resolve spatially their microscopic magnetic structure.This proposed research aims to develop novel simulation codes and transmission electron microscopy imaging methodologies of AF domains in polycrystalline metallic films at the nanometre scale. Magnetic imaging and structural characterization of F films coupled to the underlying AF will reveal information on the AF magnetic structure. These observations will enable to develop the simulation code, thus enhancing our understanding of the micromagnetic properties of AF thin metallic films. We plan to distribute the code developed during this research to interested academic and industrial users.