Magnetic Response Versus Lift Height of Thin Ferromagnetic Films

The interaction between a magnetic force microscope (MFM) tip and ferromagnetic films of Ni, Co₉₀Fe₁₀ and Py with in-plane magnetization has been investigated. The measured interaction, due to the magnetizing of the films by the MFM tip field, was determined by the phase shift of the cantilever response. The tip-film separation or lift height dependent phase shift was found to be independent of the saturation magnetization of the ferromagnetic film. The result is identical for all three films and micromagnetic simulations give similar results. The reason is at a given tip-sample separation the tip induced magnetization of the film creates a demagnetization field which is equal in magnitude to the tip field at that separation.