Enhancement of the magneto-optical properties in 2-dimensional bilayered magnetic anti-dot lattice

Abstract

The magneto-optical (MO) properties of two-dimensional bilayered magnetic anti-dot lattice (BMAL) structure, which consists of upper perforated "Co" layer over uniform "Ni" underlayer in square-lattice arrangement, were investigated. Enhancement in the MO activity was found in such structures. Nearly 4 times larger MO-Kerr activity was observed for the first-order diffracted beam as compared with that of the zeroth-order one. To understand the origin of the enhanced MO rotation, the magnetization-domain configuration was also investigated by field-dependent magnetic-force microscopy. Additionally, comparison between MO response and magnetization-domain configuration for the rhomboid BMAL structure was done, which allowed us to understand more clearly the enhancement of MO properties. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics