Layer-selective studies of an anti-ferromagnetically coupled multilayer by resonant magnetic reflectivity in the extreme ultraviolet range

A multilayer comprising a 5 nm Ni80Fe20 and a 10 nm Co40Fe60 layer separated by a 0.6 nm Cr layer was investigated by resonant magnetic reflectivity measurements of horizontally polarized light in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range (EUV). By exploiting the transversal magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) at the M absorption edges of iron, cobalt and nickel (54 eV, 60 eV and 67 eV) a magnetic contrast as large as 30% can be obtained near a Brewster angle of about 45 °. Energy dependent scans of the magnetic asymmetry as well as magneto-optical hysteresis loops were recorded to study the magneto-optical response and to determine whether the switching behavior of individual layers in the strongly anti-ferromagnetically coupled multilayer system can be probed.