In situ magnetization reversal measurement of magnetic tips in a magnetic force microscope

This work is devoted to the investigation of the magnetization reversal of the magnetic tip directly in the magnetic force microscope (MFM) when the external field is created with an electromagnet installed into the microscope. By using special samples containing Co and SmCo ferromagnetic micropatterns it was shown that the magnetization reversal of the magnetic tip of the microscope in the high magnetic field led to the essential transformation of the MFM images of planar magnetic microstructures. The computer simulation of the corresponding MFM images and the MFM profiles was used to confirm this conclusion. The analysis of the experimental MFM images of Co micropatterns obtained at magnetic fields in the range from -2000 up to 2000 Oe allowed us to estimate the coercivity of magnetic tips.