Magnetic force microscopy of an operational spin nano-oscillator

Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) is a powerful technique for studying magnetic microstructures and nanostructures that relies on force detection by a cantilever with a magnetic tip. The detected magnetic tip interactions are used to reconstruct the magnetic structure of the sample surface. Here, we demonstrate a new method using MFM for probing the spatial profile of an operational nanoscale spintronic device, the spin Hall nano-oscillator (SHNO), which generates high-intensity spin wave auto-oscillations enabling novel microwave applications in magnonics and neuromorphic computing. We developed an MFM system by adding a microwave probe station to allow electrical and microwave characterization up to 40 GHz during the MFM process. SHNOs—based on NiFe/Pt bilayers with a specific design compatible with the developed system—were fabricated and scanned using a Co magnetic force microscopy tip with 10 nm spatial MFM resolution, while a DC current sufficient to induce auto-oscillation flowed. Our results show that this developed method provides a promising path for the characterization and nanoscale magnetic field imaging of operational nano-oscillators.