Correlation between exchange bias and pinned interfacialspins

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2003 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.017203· OSTI ID:887429

Ohldag, H; Scholl, A; Nolting, F; Arenholz, E; Maat, S; Young, A T; Carey, M; Stohr, J

Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we have detectedthe very interfacial spins that are responsible for the horizontal loopshift in three different exchange bias sandwiches, chosen because oftheir potential for device applications. The "pinned" uncompensatedinterfacial spins constitute only a fraction of a monolayer and do notrotate in an external magnetic field since they are tightly locked to theantiferromagnetic lattice. A simple extension of the Meiklejohn and Beanmodel is proposed to account quantitatively for the exchange bias fieldsin the three studied systems from the experimentally determined number ofpinned moments and their sizes.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director. Office of Science. Office of Basic EnergySciences
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 887429
• Report Number(s): LBNL--53106; BnR: KC0204016
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Vol. 91
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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