Role of anisotropy configuration in exchange-biased systems.

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2011 · J. Appl. Phys.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3562507· OSTI ID:1013337

Jimenez, E; Camarero, J; Perna, P; Mikuszeit, N; Teran, F J; Sort, J; Nogues, J; Garcia-Martin, J M; Hoffmann, A; Dieny, B; Miranda, R ^[1]

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1. Materials Science Division

We present a systematic study of the anisotropy configuration effects on the magnetic properties of exchange-biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AFM) Co/IrMn bilayers. The interfacial unidirectional anisotropy is set extrinsically via a field cooling procedure with the magnetic field misaligned by an angle {beta}{sub FC} with respect to the intrinsic FM uniaxial anisotropy. High resolution angular dependence in-plane resolved Kerr magnetometry measurements have been performed for three different anisotropy arrangements, including collinear {beta}{sub FC} = 0 and two opposite noncollinear cases. The symmetry breaking of the induced noncollinear configurations results in a peculiar nonsymmetric magnetic behavior of the angular dependence of magnetization reversal, coercivity, and exchange bias. The experimental results are well reproduced without any fitting parameter by using a simple model including the induced anisotropy configuration. Our finding highlights the importance of the relative angle between anisotropies in order to properly account for the magnetic properties of exchange-biased FM/AFM systems.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC; Spanish MICINN
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1013337
• Report Number(s): ANL/MSD/JA-70055
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys., Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys. Journal Issue: 7 ; 2011 Vol. 109; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANISOTROPY
CONFIGURATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETIZATION
RESOLUTION
SYMMETRY BREAKING