X-ray photoemission electron microscopy, a tool for the investigation of complexmagnetic structures

摘要

X-ray Potoemission Electron Microscopy unites the chemical specificity andmagnetic sensitivity of soft x-ray absorption with the high spatial resolution of electron microscopy. The discussed instrument possesses a spatial resolution of better than 50 nm and is located at a bending magnet beamline at the Advanced Light Source, providing linearly and circularly polarized radiation between 250 and 1300 eV. We will present examples which demonstrate the power of this technique applied to problems in the field of thin film magnetism. The chemical and elemental specificity is of particular importance for the study of magnetic exchange coupling because it allows separating the signal of the different layers and interfaces in complex multi-layered structures.