Magnetization studies of embedded and coated thin films using Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect

The advancements made in electronic storage demand characterization of new materials and magnetic structures. The Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) is an interesting tool to characterize materials for usage in modern electronic storage devices such as magneto-optical drive, magnetic random access memory and spin valve devices. In this work, an attempt was made to characterize embedded and coated films using Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect technique. An experimental system was built for the measurement of Kerr rotation. Magnetization studies of PMMA (Poly(methyl methacrylate)) films embedded with iron nanoparticles and quartz films coated with hematite nanoparticles were carried out using MOKE. The embedded films exhibited weak magnetic response. For the coated films, the hysteresis loops were shifted from the origin indicating the presence of exchange bias in the system. Symmetric and asymmetric magnetization reversals were observed due to the presence of antiferromagnetic regions non-collinear with the external magnetic field. The samples with higher concentrations of nanoparticles showed dipolar interactions at relatively low fields. The coated films showed better magneto-optic response as compared to the embedded films. The exchange bias effects in the coated films makes it a candidate for various applications such as permanent magnets, magnetic recording media and stabilizers in recording heads.