Biaxial Kerr Magnetometry in Oblique Field for the Study of Thin Films with a Perpendicular Anisotropy

A measurement system based on the magneto-optic Kerr effect was developed in order to study magnetic thin films for applications in recording media. The sample can be rotated in the magnetic field by using two Al mirrors. Two components of the magnetization can be measured for different directions and magnitudes of the applied field. The measurement performance was shown by experiments on sputtered Co-Cr films. The results are in agreement with those of biaxial VSM experiments performed on the same sample. Preliminary results suggest that rotation of the spins, which mainly occur for larger fields, oppose the reversal of the magnetization.