Checkerboard Domain Pattern of Single-Crystal Thin Iron Film

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Abstract
Basic domain structures of epitaxially grown single-crystal thin films of iron are investigated by the powder pattern technique. For films with (001) orientation, where two easy axes of magnetization lie within the plane of the film, a checkerboard pattern, i.e., a regular square domain pattern made up of 90° walls only, is expected to appear, since 90° walls should predominate over 180° walls in thin films. In the asevaporated condition, however, the film possesses a fairly complicated domain structure and the checkerboard pattern is obtained only after alternating-field demagnetization. It is thus clearly indicated, in thin films, that there exists a lack of demagnetizing energy necessary for the formation of closure domains and that an external force is necessary to reach the demagnetized state with a closure domain structure.

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