VSM profiling of CoCr films: A new analytical technique

A computer-controlled VSM has been developed to provide highly accurate and repeatable measurements of M-H loops of magnetic thin films. Two new analytical techniques have been developed around this capability. These techniques -- VSM depth profiling and Differential Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (DVSM) -- allow the magnetic properties of materials to be studied as a function of depth. These measurements are made by removing layers of the film with VSM loops taken before each layer is removed. The loops are stored in computer memory for later use. VSM profiling is plotting a given parameter as a function of depth, while the DVSM technique subtracts adjacent loops to determine the contribution of the layer to the film's magnetic properties. The use of these techniques on CoCr thin films is described.