Optical exchange spring effect in RF-annealed Fe-based amorphous ribbons

We report the surface exchange spring behavior in Fe-based amorphous ribbons which is detected by the magneto-optical Kerr effect. To realize this effect at the surface of FeSiB, the radio frequency (RF) radiation is used to change the magnetic phase of its outermost atomic surface layers. The RF radiation produced by a capacitively coupled parallel plate plasma reactor creates a nanometric hard magnetic layer on the surface of Fe-based ribbons and leaves the magnetically soft volume without any substantial modification.