A piezoelectric force sensor is suggested for magnetic force microscopy (MFM) purposes. Added between the piezoelectric resonator and the magnetic probe is a mechanical force amplifier in the form of a thin, long resonant arm with an integral micro-rod whereby the amplitude of the force acting on the probe is amplified by a factor of 20 to 40 at a low noise level. When the sensor was operated in air, its noise floor was found to be 1.4 pN (RMS) at a bandwidth of 100 Hz. The piezoelectric sensor requires no repeated calibration; and it is capable of operating in a vacuum, and at cryogenic temperatures. By using this sensor we carried out the MFM of ultrathin (1.5- and 3-nm-thick) Ni79Fe21 permalloy films. The 1.5-nm-thick permalloy films studied have a nanoisland structure, whereas 3-nm-thick ones are contiouous. Domain structures were found in both. The MFM image was found to suffer substantial changes when the external magnetic field was altered by 1 Oe. The structures under study featured both "elastic" and "viscous" magnetic force components.

中文翻译：

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压电传感器在坡莫合金薄膜磁力显微镜中的应用

建议将压电力传感器用于磁力显微镜 (MFM) 目的。在压电谐振器和磁探头之间增加了一个机械力放大器，它是一个细长的谐振臂，带有一个整体微杆，由此作用在探头上的力的幅度被放大了 20 到 40 倍低噪音水平。当传感器在空气中工作时，发现其本底噪声在 100 Hz 带宽下为 1.4 pN (RMS)。压电传感器无需重复校准；它能够在真空和低温下运行。通过使用该传感器，我们对超薄（1.5 和 3 纳米厚）Ni79Fe21 坡莫合金薄膜进行了 MFM。所研究的 1.5 nm 厚坡莫合金薄膜具有纳米岛结构，而 3 nm 厚的坡莫合金薄膜是连续的。在两者中都发现了域结构。当外部磁场改变 1 Oe 时，发现 MFM 图像会发生实质性变化。所研究的结构具有“弹性”和“粘性”磁力分量。