Thickness dependence of the transverse Kerr effect in thin ferromagnetic films

Abstract

The thickness dependence of the transverse Kerr magneto-optic effect in thin magnetic films is obtained by including the effect of multiple internal reflections in the theoretical analysis. By using bulk values of the refractive index (N=n+ik) and complex magneto-optic parameter (Q=Q₁+iQ₂) measured by Krinchik (1959), the reduced reflectivity difference delta is computed for thin films of iron, nickel and cobalt. Reduced reflectivity differences are presented as a function of the film thickness for two angles of incidence and for wavelengths in the range 0.43-0.69 mu m.