Investigation of Element Specific Hysteresis Loops of ion-induced Magnetically Patterned Ni81Fe19/Ru/Co90Fe10 Films with Magnetic Soft X-ray Microscopy.

We present a layer resolved magnetic soft x-ray microscopy study of a RKKY coupled Ni81Fe19/Ru/Co90Fe10 layered system where magnetic patterns were imprinted by using a 60 keV fine focused Co ion beam so as to change the coupling from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic on a micron scale. Thereby artificial structures in form of stripes with locally varying interlayer exchange coupling are generated. Utilizing the elemental specificity of high-resolution full field soft x-ray microscopy at the Co L3 and the Ni L3 edges we determined the magnetic domain configuration during full magnetization reversal processes locally and layer resolved. In addition to the locally varying interlayer exchange coupling across the Ru layer our data verify a direct exchange coupling within each ferromagnetic layer in the magnetically patterned structure. We conclude that the magnetization reversal behaviour of the irradiated
stripes is largely influenced by the surrounding magnetic film for both, the Permalloy and the Co90Fe10 layer.