Interlayer coupling in Fe/Cr/Gd multilayer structures

Journal Article · Mon Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063776115060059· OSTI ID:22471950

Kreines, N. M.; Savitsky, A. O. ^[1]; Kravtsov, E. A.; Blagodatkov, D. V.; Ryabukhina, M. V.; Milyaev, M. A.; Ustinov, V. V. ^[2]; Pashaev, E. M.; Subbotin, I. A.; Prutskov, G. V. ^[3]

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1. Russian Academy of Sciences, Kapitsa Institute for Physical Problems (Russian Federation)
2. Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Metal Physics, Ural Branch (Russian Federation)
3. Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation)

The effect of the chromium layer thickness on the magnetic state of an [Fe/Cr/Gd/Cr]{sub n} multilayer structure is studied. A series of Fe/Cr/Gd structures with Cr spacer thicknesses of 4–30 Å is studied by SQUID magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance in the temperature range 4.2–300 K. The obtained experimental results are described in terms of an effective field model, which takes into account a biquadratic contribution to the interlayer coupling energy and a nonuniform magnetization distribution inside the gadolinium layer (which was detected earlier). Depending on the magnetic field and temperature, the following types of magnetic ordering are identified at various chromium layer thicknesses: ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and canted ordering. A comparison of the experimental and calculated curves allowed us to determine the dependence of the bilinear (J{sub 1}) and biquadratic (J{sub 2}) exchange constants on chromium layer thickness t{sub Cr}. Weak oscillations at a period of about 18 Å are detected in the J{sub 1}(t{sub Cr}) dependence in the range 8–30 Å. The interlayer coupling oscillations in the system under study are assumed to be related to the RKKY exchange interaction mechanism via the conduction electrons of Cr.

• OSTI ID: 22471950
• Journal Information: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 120; ISSN JTPHES; ISSN 1063-7761
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANTIFERROMAGNETISM
CHROMIUM
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COUPLING
DIAGRAMS
ELECTRONS
EXCHANGE INTERACTIONS
FERROMAGNETIC RESONANCE
GADOLINIUM
IRON
LAYERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIZATION
OSCILLATIONS
SQUID DEVICES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THICKNESS