Magnetic imaging with spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy

¹ Institut Néel, CNRS & Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
² Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

Corresponding author: nicolas.rougemaille@grenoble.cnrs.fr

Received: 20 July 2009
Accepted: 9 March 2010
Published online: 16 April 2010

Abstract

Spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM) is a technique for imaging magnetic microstructures at surfaces and in thin films. In this article, principles, advantages and limitations of SPLEEM are reviewed. Several recent studies illustrate how SPLEEM can be used to investigate spin reorientation transition phenomena, to determine magnetic domain configurations in low-dimensional structures, or to explore physics of magnetic couplings in layered systems. The work highlights the capability of the technique to reveal in situ and in real time quantitative information on micromagnetic configurations and structure-property relationships. In addition, spectroscopic reflectivity measurements with spin-polarized low-energy electron beams can be a useful tool to probe spin-dependent unoccupied band structure of magnetic materials and electronic properties of buried magnetic interfaces.