• DOI:10.1063/1.5001390
• Corpus ID: 46834903

Analysing magnetism using scanning SQUID microscopy.

@article{Reith2017AnalysingMU,
  title={Analysing magnetism using scanning SQUID microscopy.},
  author={Pim Reith and Xiao Renshaw Wang and Hans Hilgenkamp},
  journal={The Review of scientific instruments},
  year={2017},
  volume={88 12},
  pages={
          123706
        }
}

• P. Reith, X. Renshaw Wang, H. Hilgenkamp
• Published 24 August 2017
• Physics
• The Review of scientific instruments

Scanning superconducting quantum interference device microscopy (SSM) is a scanning probe technique that images local magnetic flux, which allows for mapping of magnetic fields with high field and spatial accuracy. Many studies involving SSM have been published in the last few decades, using SSM to make qualitative statements about magnetism. However, quantitative analysis using SSM has received less attention. In this work, we discuss several aspects of interpreting SSM images and methods to improve quantitative analysis. First, we analyse the spatial resolution and how it depends on several factors. Second, we discuss the analysis of SSM scans and the information obtained from the SSM data. Using simulations, we show how signals evolve as a function of changing scan height, SQUID loop size, magnetization strength, and orientation. We also investigated 2-dimensional autocorrelation analysis to extract information about the size, shape, and symmetry of magnetic features. Finally, we provide an outlook on possible future applications and improvements.