Nanosecond pulsed field magnetization reversal in thin-film Permalloy studied by Kerr effect magnetometry

Summary form only given. Understanding magnetization reversal under high frequency and ultra-short pulsed magnetic fields is important for magnetic recording and other devices. The dependence of the switching field upon the timescale of the applied field is particularly relevant to magnetic recording as data rates approach 1 Gbit/s. Furthermore, many applications require high speed fields combined with static bias fields, which can make the overall dynamical behaviour very complex. This work reports a study of the easy-axis magnetization switching of a Ni/sub 80/Fe/sub 20/ thin-film for pulsed field durations down to 2 ns in the presence of a quasi-static bias field. Switching behaviour was measured using continuous wave laser magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) magnetometry with pulsed fields from a thin-film transmission line field pulser.