The evolution of magnetic domain structure with magnetic history in amorphous film with perpendicular anisotropy

Amorphous rare-earth-Fe-B (RE-Fe-B) films were deposited on Si substrates at 300 degrees C by dc magnetron sputtering. The evolution of their magnetic domain structures with magnetic history was observed by magnetic force microscopy. It was found that the remanent domain configuration can be gradually transformed from stripes to bubbles after applying different magnetic fields along the out-of-plane direction, which indicates that the film has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. In addition, an in situ investigation on the evolution of domain structure under an in-plane field was carried out using a homemade sample holder. The results showed that the domain structure depends on both the applied field and the magnetic history. The present work provides a feasible approach for manipulating magnetic domains in amorphous RE-Fe-B film by employing a magnetic field. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4757039]