Competing effects of magnetocrystalline anisotropy and exchange bias in epitaxial Fe/IrMn bilayers

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 2011 · Applied Physics Letters, 98(9):092503

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3561516· OSTI ID:1009743

Zhang, Wei; Bowden, Mark E; Krishnan, Kannan M

We systematically investigated the possible magnetization reversal behavior in well-characterized, epitaxial, Fe/IrMn exchange-biased bilayers as a function of the antiferromagnetic (AF) layer thickness. Several kinds of multi-step loops were observed for the samples measured at various field orientations. The angular dependence of the switching fields, observed using longitudinal and transverse magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE), were shown to depend on the competition between the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the exchange bias (EB). A modified ‘effective field’ model was applied to quantitatively describe the evolution of the magnetic behavior and correctly predict the occurrence of different magnetic switching processes. The dependence of the effective anisotropy fields on the AF layer thickness directly reflects the competing effects of the pinned and rotatable antiferromagnetic spins at the EB interface.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1009743
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-78075; 43695; KP1704020
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, 98(9):092503, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters, 98(9):092503 Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 98; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANISOTROPY
Competing
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
KERR EFFECT
MAGNETIZATION
THICKNESS
anisotropy
effects
exchange
magnetocrystalline