Magnetic characterization of micropatterned Nd-Fe-B hard magnetic films using scanning Hall probe microscopy

Scanning Hall probe microscopy has been used for the quantitative measurement of the z-component (out-of-plane) of the stray magnetic fields produced by Nd-Fe-B hard magnetic films patterned at the micron scale using both topographic and thermomagnetic methods. Peak-to-peak field values in the range 20-120 mT have been measured at scan heights of 25-30 mu m above the samples. Quantitative comparison between calculated and measured field profiles gives nondestructive access to the micromagnets' internal magnetic structure. In the case of topographically patterned films the average value of remanent magnetization is extracted; in the case of thermomagnetically patterned films the depth of magnetization reversal is estimated. The measured field profiles are used to derive the spatial variation in the field and field gradient values at distances in the range 0.1-10 mu m above the micromagnet arrays. These length-scales are relevant to the application of the micromagnet arrays for lab-on-chip applications (trapping and confinement of magnetic particles). Very large field and field gradient values as high as 1.1 T and 4.1 x 10(6) T/m, respectively, are estimated. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3486513]