We investigated the voltages obtained in a thin Pt strip on a permalloy film which was subject to in-plane temperature gradients and magnetic fields. The voltages detected by thin W tips or bond wires showed a purely symmetric effect with respect to the external magnetic field which can be fully explained by the planar Nernst effect. To verify the influence of the contacts, measurements in vacuum and atmosphere were compared and gave similar results. We explain that a slightly in-plane tilted temperature gradient only shifts the field direction dependence but does not cancel out the observed effects. Additionally, the anomalous Nernst effect could be induced by using thick Au tips which generated a heat current perpendicular to the sample plane. The effect can be manipulated by varying the temperature of the Au tips. These measurements are discussed concerning their relevance in transverse spin Seebeck effect measurements.

• Received 25 September 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.184425