A direct measurement of rotatable and frozen CoO spins in exchange bias system of CoO/Fe/Ag(001)

Journal Article · Tue Mar 09 23:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.217204· OSTI ID:983786

Wu, J; Park, J S; Kim, W; Arenholz, E; Liberati, M; Scholl, A; Wu, Y Z; Hwang, C; Qiu, Z Q

The exchange bias of epitaxially grown CoO/Fe/Ag(001) was investigated using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) techniques. A direct XMLD measurement on the CoO layer during the Fe magnetization reversal shows that the CoO compensated spins are rotatable at thinner thickness and frozen at larger thickness. By a quantitative determination of the rotatable and frozen CoO spins as a function of the CoO film thickness, we find the remarkable result that the exchange bias is well established before frozen spins are detectable in the CoO film. We further show that the rotatable and frozen CoO spins are uniformly distributed in the CoO film.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: Advanced Light Source Division; Materials Sciences Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 983786
• Report Number(s): LBNL-3533E
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 104; ISSN 1079-7114; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
DICHROISM
FILMS
FUNCTIONS
LAYERS
MAGNETIC CIRCULAR DICHROISM
MAGNETIZATION
THICKNESS
WELLS