We demonstrate micromechanical detection of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in thin magnetic films. FMR spectroscopy is performed on nanometer scale samples integrated with a micromachined silicon cantilever. We present several techniques by which the FMR signal is coupled to a mechanical response of the cantilever. Cantilevers with low spring constants and high mechanical Q are essential for these measurements. Sub-nanometer displacements of the cantilever are detected using a laser beam-bounce system typical of many atomic force microscopes (AFM). The high sensitivities achieved by integrating the sample with the detector allow magnetic measurements on samples with total magnetic moments smaller than detectable with conventional magnetometers. Metrology applications for micromachined magnetometers include ultra-thin film material characterization, magnetic field microscopy, microwave field imaging, and deposition process monitors.

Date Published: 15 August 2000
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 4176, Micromachined Devices and Components VI, (15 August 2000); doi: 10.1117/12.395644

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4176:
Micromachined Devices and Components VI
Eric Peeters; Oliver Paul, Editor(s)