Exchange bias for ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayers with the uniaxial anisotropy being misaligned with the exchange anisotropy

Using the principle of minimal energy and S-W model, the exchange bias for ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayers has been investigated when the uniaxial anisotropy is misaligned with the exchange anisotropy. According to the relation between the energy of the bilayer and the orientation of ferromagnetic magnetization, it is found that the bilayer will be in the monostable state or bistable state when the external field is absent in the initial magnetization state. The monostable state or bistable state of the bilayer, which determines the angular dependence of exchange bias directly, is controlled by the competition between the exchange anisotropy and uniaxial anisotropy. When the applied field is parallel to the intrinsic easy axes and intrinsic hard axes, one of the switching fields of the hysteresis loop shows an abrupt change, while the other keep continuous by analyzing the magnetization reversal processes. Consequently, the exchange bias field and the coercivity will show a jump phenomenon. The numerical calculations indicate that both the magnitude and direction of the exchange anisotropy will significantly affect the angular dependence of exchange bias. The jump phenomenon of exchange bias is an intrinsic property of the bilayer, which is dependent on the interfacial exchange-coupling constant, the orientation of the exchange anisotropy, the thickness and uniaxial anisotropy constant of the ferromagnetic layer.     

Composition-controlled exchange bias training effect in FeCr/IrMn bilayers

For FeCr/IrMn bilayers, the exchange bias training effect and the magnetization reversal mechanism are correlated to each other and depend on the composition of the ferromagnetic layer. For high Fe contents, the asymmetric magnetization reversal is observed. During the training effect, both exchange field and coercivity decrease monotonically, suggesting a type I training effect. For low Fe contents, the domain wall depinning takes place for the two hysteresis loop branches. Only exchange field diminution happens in the training effect. The coercivity almost does not change in the process, corresponding to a type II training effect. It is suggested that the motion of antiferromagnetic spins is modified by the magnetization reversal mechanism in the ferromagnetic layer.     

铁磁/反铁磁双层膜中的磁锻炼效应

采用Monte Carlo 方法,研究铁磁/反铁磁双层膜中的磁锻炼效应.结果表明,反铁磁层中冷场诱发的界面净磁化(钉扎效应)的磁弛豫可导致系统中的交换偏置场的磁锻炼效应.进一步研究表明,反铁磁层中掺杂可调控交换偏置场的磁锻炼效应,原因在于反铁磁层中掺杂能有效地改变冷场诱发的净磁化的磁弛豫过程.     

Revealing the origin of the vertical hysteresis loop shifts in an exchange biased Co/YMnO(3) bilayer

We have investigated exchange bias effects in bilayers composed of the antiferromagnetic o-YMnO(3) and ferromagnetic Co thin film by means of SQUID magnetometry, magnetoresistance, anisotropic magnetoresistance and the planar Hall effect. The magnetization and magneto-transport properties show pronounced asymmetries in the field and magnetization axes of the field hysteresis loops. Both exchange bias parameters, the exchange bias field H(E)(T) as well as the magnetization shift M(E)(T), vanish around the Néel temperature T(N)???45?K. We show that the magnetization shift M(E)(T) is also measured by a shift in the anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall resistance having a similar temperature dependence as the one obtained from magnetization measurements. Because the o-YMnO(3) film is highly insulating, our results demonstrate that the M(E)(T) shift originates at the interface within the ferromagnetic Co layer. To show that the main results obtained are general and not because of some special characteristics of the o-YMO(3) layer, similar measurements were done in Co/CoO micro-wires. The transport and magnetization characterization of the micro-wires supports the main conclusion that these effects are related to the response of the ferromagnetic Co layer at the interface.     

Unified nonequilibrium dynamical theory for exchange bias and training effects

We have investigated the exchange bias and training effect in the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AF) heterostructures using a unified Monte Carlo dynamical approach. The magnetization of the uncompensated AF layer is still open after the first field cycling is finished. Our simulated results show obvious shift of hysteresis loops (exchange bias) and cycling dependence of exchange bias (training effect) when the temperature is below 45~K. The exchange bias field decreases with decreasing cooling rate or increasing temperature and the number of the field cycling. Essentially, these two effects can be explained on the basis of the microscopical coexistence of both reversible and irreversible moment reversals of the AF domains. Our simulations are useful to understand the real magnetization dynamics of such magnetic heterostructures.     

Influence of magnetic field sweep rate on the hysteresis loops of Ni0.8Fe0.2/Fe0.5Mn0.5 exchange bias bilayer

The influence of the magnetic field sweep rate on the hysteresis loops of exchange bias Ni0.8Fe0.2/Fe0.5Mn0.5 bilayers has been investigated with a vibrating sample magnetometer. It was found that the sweep rate of 13.6 kA/4πms is high enough to bring about obvious changes in the hysteresis loops of the exchange bias bilayer. High sweep rate in the magnetization reversal stage enlarges the coercivity of the sample, while high sweep rate in the saturation state reduces the coercivity. The above phenomena were attributed to magnetic viscosity in the ferromagnetic layer enhanced by the interface exchange interaction and domain magnetization reversals assisted by thermal fluctuation in the antiferromagnetic layer respectively.     

New Trends in Magnetic Exchange Bias

The study of layered magnetic structures is one of the hottest topics in magnetism due to the growing attraction of applications in magnetic sensors and magnetic storage media, such as random access memory. For almost half a century, new discoveries have driven researchers to re-investigate magnetism in thin film structures. Phenomena such as giant magnetoresistance, tunneling magnetoresistance, exchange bias and interlayer exchange coupling led to new ideas to construct devices, based not only on semiconductors but on a variety of magnetic materials Upon cooling fine cobalt particles in a magnetic field through the Néel temperature of their outer antiferromagnetic oxide layer, Meiklejohn and Bean discovered exchange bias in 1956. The exchange bias effect through which an antiferromagnetic AF layer can cause an adjacent ferromagnetic F layer to develop a preferred direction of magnetization, is widely used in magnetoelectronics technology to pin the magnetization of a device reference layer in a desired direction. However, the origin and effects due to exchange interaction across the interface between antiferromagneic and ferromagnetic layers are still debated after about fifty years of research, due to the extreme difficulty associated with the determination of the magnetic interfacial structure in F/AF bilayers. Indeed, in an AF/F bilayer system, the AF layer acts as “the invisible man” during conventional magnetic measurements and the presence of the exchange coupling is evidenced indirectly through the unusual behavior of the adjacent F layer. Basically, the coercive field of the F layer increases in contact with the AF and, in some cases, its hysteresis loop is shifted by an amount called exchange bias field. Thus, AF/F exchange coupling generates a new source of anisotropy in the F layer. This induced anisotropy strongly depends on basic features such as the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, crystallographic and spin structures, defects, domain patterns etc of the constituant layers. The spirit of this topical issue is, for the first time, to gather and survey recent and original developments, both experimental and theoretical, which bring new insights into the physics of exchange bias. It has been planned in relation with an international workshop exclusively devoted to exchange bias, namely IWEBMN’04 (International Workshop on Exchange Bias in Magnetic Nanostructures) that took place in Anglet, in the south west of France, from 16th to 18th September 2004. The conference gathered worldwide researchers in the area, both experimentalists and theoreticians. Several research paths are particularly active in the field of magnetic exchange coupling. The conference, as well as this topical issue, which was also open to contributions from scientists not participating in the conference, has been organized according to the following principles: 1. Epitaxial systems: Since the essential behavior of exchange bias critically depends on the atomic-level chemical and spin structure at the interface between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic components, epitaxial AF/F systems in which the quality of the interface and the crystalline coherence are optimized and well known are ideal candidates for a better understanding of the underlying physics of exchange bias. The dependence of exchange bias on the spin configurations at the interfaces can be accomplished by selecting different crystallographic orientations. The role of interface roughness can also be understood from thin-film systems by changing the growth parameters, and correlations between the interface structure and exchange bias can be made, as reported in this issue. 2. Out-of-plane magnetized systems: While much important work has been devoted to the study of structures with in-plane magnetization, little has been done on the study of exchange bias and exchange coupling in samples with out-of-plane magnetization. Some systems can exhibit either in-plane or out-of-plane exchange bias, depending on the field cooling direction. This is of particular interest since it allows probing of the three-dimensional spin structure of the AF layer. The interface magnetic configuration is extremely important in the perpendicular geometry, as the short-range exchange coupling competes with a long-range dipolar interaction; the induced uniaxial anisotropy must overcome the demagnetization energy to establish perpendicular anisotropy films. Those new studies are of primary importance for the magnetic media industry as perpendicular recording exhibits potential for strongly increased storage densities. 3. Parameters tuning exchange bias in polycrystalline samples and magnetic configurations: Different parameters can be used to tune the exchange bias coupling in polycrystalline samples similar to those used in devices. Particularly fascinating aspects are the questions of the appearance of exchange bias or coercivity in ferromagnet/antiferromagnet heterostructures, and its relation to magnetic configurations formed on either side of the interface. Several papers report on either growth choices or post preparation treatments that enable tuning of the exchange bias in bilayers. The additional complexity and novel features of the exchange coupled interface make the problem particularly rich. 4. Dynamics and magnetization reversal: Linear response experiments, such as ferromagnetic resonance, have been used with great success to identify interface, surface anisotropies and interlayer exchange in multilayer systems. The exchange bias structure is particularly well suited to study because interface driven changes in the spin wave frequencies in the ferromagnet can be readily related to interlayer exchange and anisotropy parameters associated with the antiferromagnet. Because the exchange bias is intimately connected with details of the magnetization process during reversal and the subsequent formation of hysteresis, considerations of time dependence and irreversible processes are also relevant. Thermal processes like the training effect manifesting itself in changes in the hysteretic characteristics depending on magnetic history can lead to changes in the magnetic configurations. This section contains an increasing number of investigations of dynamics in exchange bias coupled bilayers, and in particular those of the intriguing asymmetric magnetization reversal in both branches of a hysteresis loop. The Editors of the topical issue: Alexandra Mougin Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR CNRS 8502, Université Paris Sud, F-91405 Orsay, France Stéphane Mangin Laboratoire de Physique des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 7556, Université Henri Poincaré, F-54506 Nancy, France Jean-Francois Bobo Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée - NMH, FRE 2686 CNRS ONERA, 2 avenue Edouard Belin, F-31400 Toulouse, France Alois Loidl Experimentalphysik V, EKM, Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-86135, Augsburg, Germany     

交换偏置系统中的反铁磁磁化与自旋波

采用自由能变分法研究了铁磁/反铁磁双层膜系统在反铁磁层存在净磁化下的自旋波谱.本模型中铁磁薄层具有单轴磁晶各向异性和立方磁晶各向异性,反铁磁层仅具有单轴磁晶各向异性,但厚度有限,推导出了系统铁磁共振频率的表达式.结果表明：系统的自旋波谱分光学模和声学模两种,其中光学模仅在反铁磁层存在净磁化时得到激发.自旋波谱可按外磁场强度的变化情况分为强弱两支;区分强磁场和弱磁场的临界场依赖于铁磁/反铁磁间的交换作用,反铁磁层的磁化强度以及反铁磁层的厚度等.交换偏置场对光学模的影响明显于声学模,而反铁磁的净磁化和其厚度对系统的影响紧密联系,难以区分.但当反铁磁层净磁化很小可忽略时,系统只存在声学模激发. 关键词： 铁磁/反铁磁双层膜 反铁磁层净磁化 光学模 声学模     

Exchange bias in nearly perpendicularly coupled ferromagnetic/ferromagnetic system

Exchange bias phenomena appear not only in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems but also in ferromagnetic/ferromagnetic systems in which two layers are nearly perpendicularly coupled. We investigated the origin of the symmetry-breaking mechanism and the relationship between the exchange bias and the system's energy parameters. We compared the results of computational Monte Carlo simulations with those of theoretical model calculation. We found that the exchange bias exhibited nonlinear behaviors, including sign reversal and singularities. These complicated behaviors were caused by two distinct magnetization processes depending on the interlayer coupling strength. The exchange bias reached a maximum at the transition between the two magnetization processes.     

外场作用下铁电/铁磁双层膜的极化磁化性质

建立了铁电/铁磁双层膜模型,铁电层的电矩用连续标量描述,而铁磁层的自旋应用经典矢量描述.利用蒙特卡罗方法模拟了体系的热力学性质和极化、磁化行为.给出了零场下体系的内能、比热、极化和磁化随温度变化的关系,并分别研究了体系在外磁场和外电场下的极化和磁化行为.模拟结果表明,双层膜体系的内能、比热、极化和磁化性质因层间耦合系数的不同而明显不同,当界面耦合较弱时,双层膜表现出各自的热力学性质,当层间耦合增强到一定程度时,双层膜耦合为一个整体,表现出统一的热力学性质.该双层膜在外场中形成电滞回线和磁滞回线,并表现出偏置特性,界面耦合强度和温度影响滞后回线和偏置现象.     

NiFe/FeMn双层膜交换偏置的形成及热稳定性研究

研究了在铁磁(NiFe)/反铁磁(FeMn)双层膜之间，交换偏置的形成过程和热稳定性，特别是NiFe/FeMn的交换偏置作用与FeMn层晶粒尺寸的关系.和以前作者不同的是，本文方法采用非磁性Ni-Fe-Cr合金作缓冲层材料，改变Cr的含量就可以获得不同晶粒尺寸的反铁磁FeMn层.实验表明，晶粒尺寸较小的FeMn产生较强的铁磁/反铁磁交换偏置场；但是，对于较大晶粒的FeMn层，出现交换偏置作用所要的临界厚度较小.这符合Mauri提出的理论模型.交换偏置场的热稳定性实验表明，具有较大晶粒尺寸的FeMn层给出较 关键词： 交换偏置 热稳定性 反铁磁 晶粒尺寸     

外应力对铁磁/反铁磁体系交换偏置的影响及阶跃现象

采用能量极小原理及S-W模型研究了外应力对铁磁/反铁磁（FM/AFM）双层薄膜体系交换偏置的影响.不施加外磁场时,根据能量与铁磁层磁化强度方向之间的关系,指出体系存在单稳态和双稳态两种不同的状态,是由交换各向异性与单轴各向异性之间的竞争控制的.体系处于单稳态还是双稳态直接决定着交换偏置的角度依赖关系.分析磁化过程发现,外磁场沿内禀易轴及内禀难轴方向施加时,磁滞回线的一支转换场发生突变,而另一支转换场则保持不变,最终导致交换偏置场和矫顽场出现阶跃行为.数值计算表明,交换偏置场和矫顽场在阶跃点均具有较大的数值 关键词： 单稳态 双稳态 外应力     

Soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering studies on Fe/CoO exchange bias system

We have used soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering (XRMS) to search for the presence of an effective ferromagnetic moment belonging to the antiferromagnetic (AF) layer which is in close contact with a ferromagnetic (F) layer. Taking advantage of the element specificity of the XRMS technique, we have measured hysteresis loops of both Fe and CoO layers of a CoO(40 Å)/Fe (150 Å) exchange bias bilayer. From these measurements we have concluded that the proximity of the F layer induces a magnetic moment in the AF layer. The F moment of the AF layer has two components: one is frozen and does not follow the applied magnetic field and the other one follows in phase the ferromagnetic magnetization of the F layer. The temperature dependence of the F components belonging to the AF layer is shown and discussed.     

Thermally activated magnetization reversal in magnetic tunnel junctions

In this paper, the magnetization reversal of the ferromagnetic layers in the IrMn/CoFe/AlO_x/CoFe magnetic tunnel junction has been investigated using bulk magnetometry. The films exhibit very complex magnetization processes and reversal mechanism. Thermal activation phenomena such as the training effect, the asymmetry of reversal, the loop broadening and the decrease of exchange field while holding the film at negative saturation have been observed on the hysteresis loops of the pinned ferromagnetic layer while not on those of the free ferromagnetic layer. The thermal activation phenomena observed can be explained by the model of two energy barrier distributions with different time constants.     

Effect of exchange interaction in ferromagnetic superlattices:A Monte Carlo study

The Monte Carlo simulation is used to investigate the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic superlattices through the Ising model. The reduced critical temperatures of the ferromagnetic superlattices are studied each as a function of layer thickness for different values of exchange interaction. The exchange interaction in each layer within the interface and the crystal field in the unit cell are studied. The magnetic coercive fields and magnetization remnants are obtained for different values of exchange interaction, different values of temperature and crystal field with fixed values of physical parameters.     

铁磁/反铁磁双层膜系统中的磁畴动力学行为

比较了铁磁单层膜与铁磁/反铁磁双层膜结构中的磁畴演化行为, 发现由于反铁磁层膜对铁磁层膜的耦合作用使得系统的磁畴壁厚度、 磁畴壁等效质量、磁畴壁移动速度等发生了改变, 系统的矫顽场增强, 并出现了交换偏置场. 文章具体研究了反铁磁层耦合作用下其磁畴壁厚度、 等效质量以及磁畴壁移动速度等与反铁磁层的净磁化、 磁各向异性、界面耦合强度以及温度等的关系; 并研究了其对铁磁/反铁磁双层膜中的交换偏置场、矫顽场的影响. 进而 从磁畴结构的形成及其演化上揭示了铁磁/反铁磁双 层膜中出现交换偏置以及矫顽场增加的物理机制.     

Modeling exchange bias microscopically

Exchange bias is a horizontal shift of the hysteresis loop observed for a ferromagnetic layer in contact with an antiferromagnetic layer. Since exchange bias is related to the spin structure of the antiferromagnet, for its fundamental understanding a detailed knowledge of the physics of the antiferromagnetic layer is inevitable. A model is investigated where domains are formed in the volume of the AFM stabilized by dilution. These domains become frozen during the initial cooling procedure carrying a remanent net magnetization which causes and controls exchange bias. Varying the anisotropy of the antiferromagnet, we find a non-trivial dependence of the exchange bias on the anisotropy of the antiferromagnet.     

Investigation of magnetization reversal process in pinned CoFeB thin film by in-situ Lorentz TEM

Exchange bias effect has been widely employed for various magnetic devices.The experimentally reported magnitude of exchange bias field is often smaller than that predicted theoretically,which is considered to be due to the partly pinned spins of ferromagnetic layer by antiferromagnetic layer.However,mapping the distribution of pinned spins is challenging.In this work,we directly image the reverse domain nucleation and domain wall movement process in the exchange biased Co Fe B/Ir Mn bilayers by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy.From the in-situ experiments,we obtain the distribution mapping of the pinning strength,showing that only 1/6 of the ferromagnetic layer at the interface is strongly pinned by the antiferromagnetic layer.Our results prove the existence of an inhomogeneous pinning effect in exchange bias systems.     

Asymmetrically shaped hysteresis loop in exchange-biased FeNi/FeMn film

The magnetization reversal of the bilayer polycrystalline FeNi(50 Å)/FeMn(50 Å) film sputtered in a magnetic field has been studied by magnetic and magneto-optical techniques. The external magnetic fields were applied along the easy or hard magnetization axis of the ferromagnetic permalloy layer. The asymmetry of hysteresis loop has been found. Appreciable asymmetry and the exchange bias were observed only in the field applied along the easy axis. The specific features of magnetization reversal were explained within the phenomenological model that involves high-order exchange anisotropy and misalignment of the easy axes of the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers. It has been shown that the film can exist in one of three equilibrium magnetic states in the field applied along the easy axis. The transitions between these states occur as first-order phase transitions. The observed hysteresis loop asymmetry is related to the existence of the metastable state.     

Co-Ni/FeMn双层膜中磁化强度对交换偏置的影响

固定CoNiFeMn双层膜中反铁磁层的厚度,改变CoNi铁磁层的成分来调节磁化强度,从而研究铁磁层的饱和磁化强度对CoNiFeMn双层膜中交换偏置的影响.研究表明,CoNiFeMn界面的交换耦合能U不是一个常量,而是随(MFM)12的增加而线性增加.其原因是铁磁层磁矩通过界面相互作用在反铁磁层中形成的局域交换磁场,在磁场冷却时影响反铁磁层的自旋结构或磁畴结构及双层膜中的交换偏置 关键词： 交换偏置 磁化强度