Characterization of magneto-optical recording media in terms of domain boundary jaggedness

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Abstract
Noise in magneto-optical recording devices can be classified as system-related noise and media noise. Media noise is rooted in the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the recording media. To investigate media noise and its relation to microstructure and micromagnetics of thin films, the jaggedness of magnetic domain boundaries is characterized using static domain observations in which the fractal dimension D is measured for the domain boundaries. Samples of TbFeCo deposited under similar conditions, but with slightly different compositions, exhibited different amounts of jaggedness, and hence, slightly different values of D, i.e., 1.05≤D≤1.20. Temperature dependent measurements performed on a TbFe sample showed increasing D with increasing temperature, 1.19≤D≤1.28 for 300 K ≤T≤360 K. Possible sources of jaggedness include structural/magnetic inhomogeneities as well as competition between domain-wall energy and demagnetization.