Enhancement of the magneto-optical Kerr effect signal using bilayer metallic structures consisting of Co/noble metal

The nanostructures of the noble metals Au, Ag, and Cu have attracted much interest because of their unique and tunable optical properties on account of their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) resulting in the strong scattering and absorption of light. The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) as a function of the angle of incidence in bilayered metallic structures of Co/Au, Co/Ag, and Co/Cu was calculated. The effect of the thickness of the bilayered metallic films was also investigated. The calculation results demonstrated that the MOKE signals of these films were greatly affected by a number of factors, including the angle of incidence, the linear polarization of the incident light, typical films, and the film thickness. By calculating and analyzing the MOKE signals from samples with different conditions, the results suggest that the signals would be enhanced by using the noble metal film due to their properties of surface plasmon polaritons.