Magnetic force microscopy of thin Permalloy films

We have imaged naturally occurring domains in soft magnetic films using the force microscope. Classic closure structures were seen in both sputtered and plated Permalloy films. These structures were compared to optical Kerr micrographs of the same films, with generally good correspondence. The force microscope had sufficient sensitivity and resolution to observe magnetic details such as ripple structure and a Bloch line. Clear evidence of tip-induced wall motion was seen when the tip-to-sample separation was less than about 100 nm.