Low temperature magnetic force microscopy studies of superconducting niobium films

Low temperature magnetic force microscopy studies of superconducting niobium films have been undertaken with the goal of studying the interplay between artificial pinning centers and magnetic vortices.Measurements were performed using a custom built low temperature magnetic force microscope, capable of operation at temperatures ranging from 4.2 K to room temperature. Special attention has been paid to optimizing the instrumentation through a detailed study of the noise characteristics, with particular emphasis placed on achieving a large signal-to-noise ratio and corresponding high force gradient sensitivity.Magnetic force spectroscopy data has been used to deduce the critical temperature of the superconducting samples, based upon the repulsive Meissner interaction between the magnetic tip and the sample. Images of vortices as a function of applied magnetic field demonstrate the expected linear relation between vortex density and field strength, and confirms that only single vortices, each carrying one flux quantum, are observed. Two different methods are put forward to determine the magnetic penetration depth; one using magnetic force spectroscopy, the other using constant height imaging of vortices. Images of vortices as a function of temperature demonstrate that as temperatures rise, vortices become more easily depinned during the scanning process through interactions with the magnetic field of the tip. Dissipation images of vortices suggest eddy current damping as well as vortex motion within potential wells as major sources of energy loss. Studies on a patterned niobium film show that only interstitial vortices are easily detectable by MFM, but that a strong tip influence results in significant tip induced motion of these vortices around the antidots