Suppression of biquadratic coupling at the Cr N{acute e}el temperature in Fe/Cr(001) superlattices (invited) (abstract)
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)
- Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennesee 37831-6393 (United States)
- Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92717 (United States)
We present the effects of antiferromagnetic (AF) order of the Cr spacers in Fe/Cr(001) superlattices on the interlayer coupling of the Fe layers. AF order of the Cr spacers is suppressed for layer thicknesses less than 42 A. For {approx_gt}42 A of Cr, the N{acute e}el temperature ({ital T}{sub {ital N}}) increases rapidly and asymptotically approaches the bulk value for thick Cr spacers as characterized by a transition-temperature shift exponent {lambda}=1.4{plus_minus}0.3. Neutron diffraction confirms both the AF order of the Cr layers in superlattices with 62, 100, and 200 A thick Cr layers, and the existence of the incommensurate, transverse spin-density-wave magnetic structure whose nesting wave vector is equal to that of bulk Cr. The AF ordering of the Cr results in anomalies in a variety of magnetic properties, including the interlayer coupling, remanent magnetization, coercivity, and magnetoresistance. Most strikingly, the 90{degree} or {open_quote}{open_quote}biquadratic{close_quote}{close_quote} coupling of the Fe layers observed for {ital T}{approx_gt}{ital T}{sub {ital N}} is suppressed below {ital T}{sub {ital N}} as confirmed by polarized neutron reflectivity. This behavior can be understood in terms of the combination of finite-size and spin frustration effects at rough Fe/Cr interfaces. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400; W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 279984
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951101--
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 79; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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