AbstractSoft X-Ray Magnetic circular dichroism (SX-MCD) can be used to obtain element-specific magnetic hysteresis curves and to elucidate the two- and three-dimensional magnetization reversal processes for each constituent magnetic element of a heteromagnetic system. As a demonstration, two systems which exhibit in-plane magnetization reversal are studied: a thin Fe (100) singlecrystal film and a Fe1-xCox/Mn/Fel-xCox trilayer. The results for both systems show that the magnetic moment vector reverses via a combination of coherent rotation toward the nearest in-plane magnetically easy axis followed by the formation of orthogonal <100> domains which rapidly sweep across the sample. In the case of the trilayer, the moment reversal process is significantly more complex due to a strong ∼90° coupling between the magnetic moments of the two FeCo layers. By using element-specific vector magnetometry (ESVM), the details of this reversal process are revealed. Furthermore, the results of the SX-MCD for Mn show that Mn possesses a ferromagnetically aligned net magnetic moment which depicts a 2D magnetization behavior different than that for either Fe or Co.
Soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism as operando probes of complex oxide electrolyte gate transistors