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EMCD: Magnetic Chiral Dichroism in the Electron Microscope

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Stefano Rubino
Affiliation:
stefanorubino@yahoo.it, Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Solid State Physics, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/138, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
Peter Schattschneider
Affiliation:
schattschneider@ifp.tuwien.ac.at, Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Solid State Physics, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/138, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
Michael Stöger-Pollach
Affiliation:
stoeger@ustem.tuwien.ac.at, Vienna University of Technology, Service centre for TEM, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/138, Vienna, A-1040, Austria
Cécile Hébert
Affiliation:
cecile.hebert@epfl.ch, EPFL, SB-CIME station 12, Lausanne, N/A, Switzerland
Ján Rusz
Affiliation:
jan.rusz@fysik.uu.se, Uppsala University, Department of Physics, Box 530, Uppsala, S-751 21, Sweden
Lionel Calmels
Affiliation:
calmels@cemes.fr, CEMES-CNRS, Nanomaterieaux group, Toulouse, N/A, France
Benedicte Warot-Fonrose
Affiliation:
Benedicte.Warot@cemes.fr, CEMES-CNRS, Nanomaterieaux group, Toulouse, N/A, France
Florent Houdellier
Affiliation:
Florent.Houdellier@cemes.fr, CEMES-CNRS, Nanomaterieaux group, Toulouse, N/A, France
Virginie Serin
Affiliation:
Virginie.Serin@cemes.fr, CEMES-CNRS, Nanomaterieaux group, Toulouse, N/A, France
Pavel Novàk
Affiliation:
novakp@fzu.cz, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Physics, Na Slovance 2, Prague, CZ-18221, Czech Republic
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Abstract

A new technique called Energy-loss Magnetic Chiral Dichroism (EMCD) has recently been developed [1] to measure Magnetic Circular Dichroism (MCD) in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) with a spatial resolution of 10 nm. This novel technique is the TEM counterpart of X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD), which is widely used for the characterization of magnetic materials with synchrotron radiation.

In this paper we describe several experimental methods which can be used to measure the EMCD signal [1-5] and give a review of the recent improvements of this new investigation tool. The dependence of the EMCD on several experimental conditions (such as thickness, relative orientation of beam and sample, collection and convergence angle) is investigated in the transition metals Iron, Cobalt and Nickel. Different scattering geometries are illustrated; their advantages and disadvantages are detailed, together with current limitations. The next realistic perspectives of this technique will consist in measuring atomic specific magnetic moments, using suitable spin and orbital sum rules [4,6], with a resolution down to 2-3 nm.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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