Easy Direction Coercive Force associated with Domain Wall Motion in Nickel-Iron Films

The origin of domain coercive force in thin nickel-iron films is of considerable scientific and technological interest. Three principal causes of domain coercive force have been suggested. These are surface roughness, inclusions, and the presence of magnetisation ripple in the films. The current theories of these contributions are outlined, and the results obtained experimentally are compared with those expected theoretically. On the basis of this comparison, it appears that all three contributions can be important. However, it is not clear how the components due to the various causes should be combined.