Magnetic force microscopy observation of antivortex core with perpendicular magnetization in patterned thin film of permalloy

The cross-tie wall is a kind of magnetic domain wall composed of a main straight wall and crossing subwalls and observed in magnetic thin films. This wall contains two kinds of magnetic vortex structures: “circular vortex” and “antivortex.” At the cores of both vortices, the existence of a spot with perpendicular magnetization has been theoretically predicted. We have detected the perpendicular magnetization spots at each vortex core and identified the direction of it by applying magnetic force microscopy imaging to cross-tie walls in patterned rectangular thin permalloy (Ni₈₀Fe₂₀) films. We also fabricated magnetic structures that contain only antivortex by engineering the shape of thin films. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.