Weak Stripe Angle Determination by Quantitative x-ray Magnetic Microscopy

High-resolution scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) can provide quantitative access to local magnetization canting angles relative to the surface. We use this cutting-edge microscopy technique to probe the weak stripe magnetic texture hosted by a 180-nm-thick Co40Fe40B20 layer. We report a full set of measurements of the weak stripe canting angle, as well as a method that uses only a single-impinging-direction x-ray beam to extract the angle. This method also allows the spatial profile to be extracted with 30 nm resolution, and the canting angle versus applied field can be measured. Combining these information, the macroscopic magnetization versus applied field loop on a complex spin texture can be reconstructed in an unprecedented way and shows undoubtedly that flux closure domains exist. These results show that the presence of flux closure domains, at the surface of such a thick film, is difficult to demonstrate by means of the STXM technique. Beyond the characterization of the weak stripe angle, this quantitative x-ray magnetic microscopy can be used to study the local textures hosted in all materials exhibiting some circular x-ray magnetic dichroism.