Soft x-ray resonant kerr rotation measurement and simulation of element-resolved and interface-sensitive magnetization reversals in a nife/femn/co trilayer structure

Journal Article · Thu Sep 02 04:00:00 EDT 2004 · Applied Physics Letters

OSTI ID:842787

Kim, S -K ^[1]; Lee, K -S; Kortright, J B; Shin, S -C

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1. LBNL Library

We report experimental observations of element- and buried interface-resolved magnetization reversals in an oppositely exchange-biased NiFe/FeMn/Co trilayer structure by soft x-ray resonant Kerr rotation measurements. Not only Co-, Ni-, Fe-specific exchange-biased loops but also interfacial uncompensated (UC) Fe reversal loops coupled to the individual Co and NiFe layers are separately observed. From the experimental results interpreted with the help of the model simulations of soft x-ray resonant Kerr rotation, the effective thicknesses of interfacial UC regions at the buried interfaces of both FeMn/Co and NiFe/FeMn are found to be 13 +- 2 and 6 +- 4 angstroms, respectively. The depth sensitivity as well as element specificity of the x-ray resonant Kerr effect offer an elegant way into the investigations of element-and depth-resolved magnetization reversals of ferromagnetic ultrathin regions at buried interfaces in multicomponent multilayer films.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 842787
• Report Number(s): LBNL--57534
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 86; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COBALT
INTERFACES
IRON ALLOYS
KERR EFFECT
MAGNETIZATION
MANGANESE ALLOYS
NICKEL ALLOYS
ROTATION
SENSITIVITY
SOFT X RADIATION
exchange-bias
interfacial exchange
soft x-ray scattering
magneto-optical Kerr effect