Localized spin-wave excitation by the evanescent microwave scanning probe

We report a technique for the local contactless spin-wave excitation using the evanescent microwave scanning probe. Our probe is based on a dielectric resonator with the thin slit aperture. It operates at 8.8 GHz, has a spatial resolution of 10-100 μm, and may be operated in the parallel and in the perpendicular magnetic field. The measurements can be performed in contact mode or by scanning the sample at constant probe-sample separation. Using 120-150 nm thick Permalloy films on a glass substrate as test samples, we show how our technique can be used for thickness measurements of thin magnetic films and for the mapping of their magnetic properties, such as magnetization and surface anisotropy.