LAUSR

Recent years have seen enormous growth in research into the topologically stable spin textures in magnetic materials known as skyrmions. One major factor driving this growth is the potential application of skyrmions in magnetic data storage devices [1]. Developing methods for visualizing and characterizing these magnetic textures is a critical step in understanding their properties. This can generally be accomplished via Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as demonstrated in single crystals and thin films of B20 FeGe [2,3,4]. Analysis of thin film samples is often complicated due to the microstructure resulting from the strain and growth process of the films. Grains, for example, contribute to image contrast in a way that can be difficult to separate from magnetic texture contrast, especially when the grains and skyrmions are similar in size. In this work, we report the successful application of an image subtraction method to reveal enhanced contrast of magnetic textures in an FeGe thin film, and discuss the potential for further enhancement of this contrast through Lorentz 4D scanning (S)TEM.