Study of the leakage field of magnetic force microscopy thin-film tips using electron holography

Electron holography is applied for the study of the leakage field of thin-film ferromagnetic tips used as probes in magnetic force microscopy. We used commercially available pyramidal tips covered o­n o­ne face with a thin NiCo film, which were then placed in a high external magnetic field directed along the pyramid axis. Good agreement between simulated and experimental electron phase difference maps allows to measure the local flux from the ferromagnetic tips and therefore to evaluate the perturbation induced by the microprobe stray field o­n the sample area