Direct observation of domain walls in NiFe films using high-resolution Lorentz microscopy

A novel approach to observe the interaction between magnetic domain wall and nanoscale microstructural features is demonstrated. The method is based on Focault mode Lorentz microscopy and utilizes a Gatan energy image filter to provide additional magnification. A postexperimental image processing technique was applied to separate lattice diffraction from that induced by magnetic domains. The effect of NiFe thickness on the width of a 180° Néel wall has been studied. It was found that the thickness dependence has a similar profile to the theoretically predicted trend but the actual wall thickness is smaller than the calculated values.