Domain walls in Fe(0 0 1) bicrystals—thickness dependence and field-induced transitions

• Published in: Journal of magnetism and magnetic materials Vol. 310; no. 2; pp. 2195 - 2197
• Main Authors: Hanson, M., Bručas, R.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.03.2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Bicrystal; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Domain wall; Epitaxial Fe film; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic properties and materials; Physics; 75.60.Ch; Domain wall; Epitaxial Fe film; Bicrystal; Thickness; Grain boundaries; Domain wall; Bicrystal; Epitaxial Fe film; Epitaxial layers; Bloch walls; Bicrystals; Magnetic domains; Domain walls; Thick films; Size effect; Magnetic force microscopy
• ISSN: 0304-8853; 1873-4766
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmmm.2006.10.757

Magnetic domain walls (DW's) formed at the grain boundary (GB) of epitaxial bicrystal Fe(0 0 1) films, thickness t = 50 and 70 nm, were studied by magnetic force microscopy. The “as-grown” samples displayed DW's with different magnetic contrast profiles yielding a single peak for t = 50 nm and a double peak with a change of sign at the centre of the wall for t = 70 nm . For t=50 nm the wall is characterised as an asymmetric Bloch wall. The double peak of the 70 nm thick film transformed into a single peak characteristic for a charged wall, when a field of 30 mT was applied along the GB. At remanence this domain wall relaxed to a regular Bloch wall divided into segments of alternating signs.