Kerr effects in thin EuO films on mirror substrates

The Kerr magnetooptic effects in thin films of EuO were enhanced by closely matching the antireflection condition. This condition was met by controlling the thickness of semitransparent EuO films deposited on a mirror substrate. In the visible spectrum the longitudinal Kerr rotation 2φ is increased to about 8 degrees as compared with 2 degrees in single-crystal EuO. The transverse Kerr effect 2δ is also increased to about 0.8, the largest value yet reported. Corresponding to these maxima there is a minimum in reflectance that approaches the true antireflection condition. Details of the experiment and the semiautomated transverse Kerr effect plotter are presented with comparison of data from other magnetic films and enhancement techniques.