Measurement of high frequency conductivity of oxide-doped anti-ferromagnetic thin film with a near-field scanning microwave microscope

In this manuscript, we describe how the map of high frequency conductivity distribution of an oxide-doped anti-ferromagnetic 200 nm thin film can be obtained from the quality factor (Q) measured by a near-field scanning microwave microscope (NSMM). Finite element analysis (FEA) is employed to simulate the NSMM tip-sample interaction and obtain a curve related between the simulated quality factor (Q) and conductivity. The curve is calibrated by a standard Cu thin film with thickness of 200 nm, together with NSMM measured Q of Ag, Au, Fe, Cr and Ti thin films. The experimental conductivity obtained by the NSMM for IrMn thin films with various doped concentrations of Al2O3 is found consistent with conventional voltammetry measurement in the same tendency. That conductivity decreases as the content of doped Al2O3 increases. The results and images obtained demonstrate that NSMM can be employed in thin film analysis for characterization of local electrical properties of materials in a non-destructive manner and for obtaining a map of conductivity distribution on the same film. (C) 2014 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.