Simultaneous measurement of AMR and observation of magnetic domains with dual Kerr microscopy

Anisotropic magneto resistance (AMR) sensors are widely used in daily life. But the influence of magnetic domains on the AMR is still not fully understood. AMR depends on the direction of the magnetization. For the understanding of the AMR it is therefore important to know about the domain structure. Dual Kerr microscopy is used for the observation of the magnetic domains while at the same time the AMR is measured. Dual Kerr microscopy means that it is possible to measure two magnetization directions at the same time. These two sensitivity directions make it possible to calculate quantitative Kerr images for a complete loop. The investigated samples were magnetic stripe patterned permalloy. The patterning was archived with Cr-Implantation. In addition to the measured resistance the AMR is calculated from the quantitative Kerr images. We also compare the field dependence of the AMR by variation of the magnetic field angle.Our measurements show a clear dependence of the AMR on the magnetic domain types. This work is supported by DFG grant FA316/3-2.