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In our study, we determine the alignment of magnetic domains in a CoFeB layer using THz radiation. We generate THz pulses by fs laser pulses in magnetized CoFeB/Pt heterostructures based on spin currents. An LT-GaAs Auston switch detects the radiation phase sensitively and allows us to determine the magnetization alignment. Our scanning technique with motorized stages, with step sizes in the sub-micrometer range, allows us to image two dimensional magnetic structures. Theoretically, the resolution is restricted to half of the wavelength if focusing optics in the far-field limit are used. By applying near-field imaging, the spatial resolution is enhanced to the single digit micrometer range. For this purpose, spintronic emitters in diverse geometric shapes, e.g., circles, triangles, squares, and sizes are prepared to observe the formation of magnetization patterns. The alignment of the emitted THz radiation can be influenced by applying unidirectional external magnetic fields. We demonstrate how magnetic domains with opposite alignment and different shapes divided by domain walls are created by demagnetizing the patterns using minor loops and imaged using phase sensitive THz radiation detection. For analysis, the data are compared to Kerr microscope images. The possibility of combining this method with THz range spectroscopic information of magnetic texture or antiferromagnets in direct vicinity to the spintronic emitter makes this detection method interesting for a much wider range of applications probing THz excitation in spin systems with high resolution beyond the Abbe diffraction limit, limited solely by the laser excitation area.
We investigate local THz field generation using spintronic THz emitters to enhance the resolution for micrometer-sized imaging. Far-field imaging with wavelengths above 100 µm limits the resolution to this order of magnitude. By using optical laser pulses as a pump, THz field generation can be confined to the area of laser beam focusing. The divergence of the generated THz beam due to laser beam focusing requires the imaged object to be close to the generation spot at a distance below the THz field wavelength. We generate THz-radiation by fs-laser pulses in CoFeB/Pt heterostructures, based on spin currents, and detect them by commercial low-temperature grown-GaAs (LT-GaAs) Auston switches. The spatial resolution of THz radiation is determined by applying a 2D scanning technique with motorized stages allowing step sizes in the sub-micrometer range. Within the near-field limit, we achieve spatial resolution in the dimensions of the laser spot size on the micrometer scale. For this purpose, a gold test pattern is evaporated on the spintronic emitter separated by a 300 nm SiO2 spacer layer. Moving these structures with respect to the femtosecond laser spot, which generates THz radiation, allows for resolution determination. The knife-edge method yields a full-width half-maximum beam diameter of 4.9 +- 0.4 µm at 1 THz. The possibility to deposit spintronic emitter heterostructures on simple glass substrates makes them attractive candidates for near-field imaging in many imaging applications.
In this work, 2-dimensional measurements in the THz frequency range with self-made spintronic THz emitters were presented. The STE were used to optimize the spatial resolution and determine the magnetization in geometric shapes. At the beginning, various combinations of FM and NM layers were produced and measured to achieve an optimal composition of the STE. The layer thickness of the ferromagnetic CoFeB layer and the nonmagnetic PT layer was also varied. The investigations have shown that a layer combination of 2 nm thick CoFeB and 2 nm thick Pt, applied to a fused silica glass substrate and covered with a 300 nm thick SiO2 layer, emits the highest THz amplitude. Based on these, a structured sample, consisting of an STE and an additional layer system of 5 nm Cr and 100 nm Au, was produced. Further, three wedge-shaped structures were removed from the gold layer by an etching process so that the THz radiation generated by the STE can pass through these areas. This enables the optimization of the resolution of the system. For this purpose, the sample was moved perpendicular to the laser beam by two stepping motors with a step size of 5 μm and imaged 2-dimensionally. By reducing the step size to 0.2 μm, the beam diameter could be measured at the edge of the structure using the knife-edge method. Based on this measurement, the resolution of the system could be determined as 5.1 ± 0.5 μm at 0.5 THz, 4.9 ± 0.4 μm at 1 THz, and 5.0 ± 0.5 μm at 1.5 THz. These results are confirmed by simulations considering the propagation of THz wave packets through the SiO2. The expansion of the FWHM of the waves, passing through the 300 nm thick layer, is about 1%. Only a SiO2 layer with a thickness in the μm range occurs an expansion of around 10%. This shows that it is possible to perform 2-dimensional THz spectroscopy with a resolution in the dimension of the exciting laser beam by using near-field optics. Afterward, the achieved spatial resolution was used to investigate the influence of external magnetic fields on the STE and the emitted THz radiation. By implementing a pair of coils above the sample, an external magnetic field could be applied parallel to the pattern. The used sample was designed in such a way that only certain geometric areas on the fused silica glass substrate were coated with an STE so that THz radiation is emitted only in those areas. The 2-dimensional images show the geometric structures for f = 1.0 THz and f = 1.5 THz clearly. By applying a permanent, positive magnetic field (+M), a positive course of the THz amplitude can be seen. A rotation of the magnetic field by 180° (-M) leads to a reversal of the orientation of the emitted THz radiation, whereby the magnetic field does not influence the corresponding frequency spectrum. By using minor loops, the sample was demagnetized by the constant reduction of the magnetic field strength with alternating magnetic field direction. The 2-dimensional representation of the pattern with a step size of 10 μm shows that the sample was demagnetized since both, positively and negatively magnetized structures, could be imaged. In addition, in the 2nd row from the top, a completely demagnetized circle and a rectangle with a division into two domains can be seen. These structures have both positive and negative magnetized areas, which are separated by a domain wall. To investigate this in more detail a 2-dimensional measurement of the divided regions was made with a step size of 2.5 μm. These images confirm the division of the structures into positive and negative domains, separated by a domain wall, which was verified by Kerr-microscope measurements. Both data show a similar course of the domains and the domain wall. However, to be able to examine the domain wall more precisely using 2-dimensional THz spectroscopy, the resolution of the system must be improved to a range of a few nm, because the expected domain wall width is between 𝑙𝑊 = 12.56 nm and 𝑙𝑊 = 125.6 nm. The improved resolution would make it possible to image foreign objects, such as microplastics in biological cells or tissue. For this purpose, different plastics, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene, were investigated in the THz frequency range up to 4 THz. While no specific absorption could be determined for PP, characteristic absorption peaks were found for PE and PS. The energy of the photons with a frequency of about 2.2 THz excites lattice vibrations in the PE. Therefore, this frequency is specifically absorbed, and the intensity in the transmission spectrum is lower than for other frequencies. PS absorbs especially THz radiation with a frequency of 3.2 THz. In addition, all of the investigated plastics are mostly transparent for THz radiation, which makes imaging of these materials feasible. Based on these basic properties, it will be possible to image and identify these types of plastic.