Magnetic structure and diffracted magneto-optics of patterned amorphous multilayers

We present magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements of patterned arrays of Co68 Fe24 Zr8 / Al2 O3 amorphous multilayers. The multilayers were patterned in two dimensions into two different arrangements of circular and ellipsoidal islands. Magnetization loops were recorded in a longitudinal geometry using both the specularly reflected beam as well as diffracted beams scattered off the patterned films. The magnetization of the patterned structures is significantly different from the magnetization of a continuous multilayer owing to the lateral confinement of the pattern and the introduction of additional dipolar coupling between the layers at the edges of the islands. By investigating the magnetic response at the different diffraction orders from the two different configurations of islands we are able to observe the magnetization at different length scales and determine the magnetic response of the circular and ellipsoidal islands individually.