Effect of oblique incidence evaporation on the magnetic properties of thin film elements

摘要

The magnetic properties of micrometre-sized thin film elements fabricated by electron beam lithography have been investigated for films evaporated under different conditions. Using the well established technique of varying the angle of incidence of evaporation we have produced elements with an additional contribution to the anisotropy. Lorentz microscopy has been used to study the effect of this anisotropy on the domain structures and switching behaviour for acicular elements which already possess a strong shape anisotropy. Our observations for elements with the induced anisotropy either parallel or perpendicular to the shape anisotropy indicate that the demagnetizing effects are still dominant. However the hysteresis loops and magnetization reversal of the elements are changed considerably with the additional constraint of induced anisotropy.