Noncollinear interlayer exchange in Fe/Cr/Fe magnetic structures with different interface roughnesses

The interaction of iron layers through a chromium spacer in Fe/Cr/Fe trilayers with different roughnesses of interfaces was studied by the Kerr magnetometry and Mandel’shtam-Brillouin light scattering techniques so as to trace the interlayer exchange coupling of the Fe layers depending on the Cr spacer thickness and the sample temperature. It is established that, in a broad range of these parameters, the interlayer exchange in Fe/Cr/Fe structures with sufficiently smooth interfaces is adequately described using the proximity magnetism and half-angle coupling models taking into account the antiferromagnetic properties of chromium. As the interface roughness increases, the well-known biquadratic exchange model becomes valid. This is evidence for the decisive role of the magnetic stiffness of a Cr spacer and the structure of interfaces on the noncollinear exchange coupling in Fe/Cr/Fe trilayers.     

First-order phase transitions in magnetization of Fe/Cr/Fe three-layer films

The possibility of appearing jumps in the magnetization curves of Fe/Cr multilayers has been predicted under the assumption that magnetic ordering in chromium interlayers has the form of a linearly polarized spin-density wave. This possibility has been analyz ed for an Fe/Cr/Fe three4ayer film with a conventional quality of Fe/Cr interfaces, which does not ensure a change in the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orientations of the magnetizations of neighboring iron layers with a variation in the thickness of the chromium interlayer by one atomic layer (short oscillation period). The model used suggests that the wave vector of the spin-density wave is responsible for the experime ntally observed long period of these oscillations. Relationships have been derived for the range of thicknesses of chromium interlayers in which the appearance of the predicted effect can be expected, and the magnitude of the effect has been evaluated.     

Magnetisation and remagnetisation peculiarities of Fe/Cr multilayer films caused by instability of Cr layers magnetic structure

A model to describe the magnetic properties of Fe/Cr/Fe films with nanometer-thick layers of Fe and Cr is proposed. The model rests on the assumption that there exists a magnetic order of the linearly polarized spin-density wave type in a chromium interlayer with thicknesses even less than its wavelength. This only assumption proved to be enough to describe the following characteristics, experimentally observed, of the magnetic properties of the multilayer Fe/Cr films: the existence of short and long periods, dependences of their magnetic properties on the chromium layer thickness, noncollinear orientation of the magnetizations of neighboring iron layers, the existence of the magnetization curves beyond the hysteresis loops of magnetization.     

Observation of the conduction electron spin polarization in the Ag spacer of a Fe/Fg/Fe trilayer

The spatially oscillating electron spin polarization in the Ag spacer of a 4 nm Fe/20 nmAg/4 nm Fe(001) epitaxial trilayer has been determined by means of low energy muon spin rotation. It oscillates with the same period as the interlayer exchange coupling, but shows a much weaker attenuation at large distances x from the interface. The measured magnetization profile from the inner 14 nm of the spacer is described by an oscillating polarization decaying as x(-0.8(1)). This unusual behavior may arise from a full confinement of electron states within the spacer.     

Effect of roughness, frustration, and antiferromagnetic order on magnetic coupling of Fe/Cr multilayers

The interplay between interfacial disorder and the antiferromagnetic order in Cr leads to complex behavior in Fe/Cr multilayers. Measurements of interlayer coupling are discussed for samples with different amounts of disorder ranging from optimally fabricated trilayers of Fe/Cr/Fe on Fe(0 0 1) whiskers, to trilayers with increasing degrees of interfacial roughness, and finally to superlattices of Fe/Cr. The coupling of ferromagnets through noble-metal spacer layers can be described by a model that consists of bilinear coupling averaged over thickness fluctuations and extrinsic biquadratic coupling induced by the thickness fluctuations. This, the conventional model, also describes much of the behavior observed for Fe/Cr multilayers. However, in this case, the antiferromagnetism in Cr leads to results not explained by the conventional model. For nearly ideal interfaces, the Fe–Cr coupling can induce order in Cr, modifying the temperature dependence of the interlayer coupling. In addition, interfacial disorder can frustrate the antiferromagnetic order in the Cr, leading to a variety of ordered states which have been observed by neutron scattering. Each of these ordered states, in turn modifies the interlayer coupling in unexpected ways. The different ways in which the systems minimize the frustration can explain the experimental results.     

Polarized neutron reflectometry of Fe/Cr/Gd superlattices

The magnetic structure of Fe/Cr/Gd superlattices is investigated using complementary methods of SQUID magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectometry. The complex magnetic behavior of the given system is caused by exchange interaction between the 3d (Fe) and 4f (Gd) layers of the ferromagnetic metals through the Cr antiferromagnetic spacer layer. It is found that a nonuniform profile of magnetization forms within the Gd layers under the influence of this interlayer interaction.     

Pd/Fe和PdFe/Fe多层膜中的振荡行为

采用磁控溅射法制备了Pd/Fe和Pd_1-xFe_x/Fe多层膜.利用变换梯度磁强计测量了样品的M_s.发现层间耦合是铁磁性的,M_s具有长程振荡,周期为4ML.振荡的相位和周期在Pd_0.966Fe_0.034/Fe和Fd_0.944Fe_0.056/Fe系统中保持不变.就Pd/Fe多层膜中是否存在内层的Pd负极化和长程的铁磁耦合振荡进行了讨论,并分析了不同计算结果以及理论计算与实验结果之间存在差异的原因. 关键词：     

Interface-induced states with an incommensurate spin-density wave in Fe/Cr-type multilayers

A model is proposed for magnetic ordering in Fe/Cr-type multilayers substantially above the Néel temperature of bulk chromium. Redistribution of the charge (and, hence, spin) density near the Fe/Cr interfaces gives rise to the formation of an essentially inhomogeneous spin-density-wave (SDW) state in the chromium spacer. The spatial structure of the antiferromagnetic order parameter in thick spacers is described. The SDW contribution to the effective exchange coupling between the moments in adjacent iron layers is calculated. The data obtained are used in the interpretation of experimental data on the tunneling spectroscopy of trilayers and neutron diffraction from Fe/Cr superlattices.     

Effect of optical radiation on magnetic resonance in Fe/Si/Fe trilayer films

A photoinduced change in the magnetic resonance parameters is observed in trilayer films of the system Fe/Si/Fe. The shifts of the resonance field and the character of the interlayer interaction are investigated as functions of the temperature, illumination of the films, and thickness of the silicon interlayer. It is found that at low temperatures the photoinduced contribution to the exchange interaction constant between the iron layers is antiferromagnetic. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 4, 287–290 (25 August 1998)     

Structural and magnetic study of swift heavy ion irradiated W/Fe multilayer structure

The present study reports the effect of swift heavy ion irradiation on structural and magnetic properties of sputtered W/Fe multilayer structure (MLS) having bilayer compositions of [W(10 Å)/Fe(20 Å)]_10BL. The MLS is irradiated by 120 MeV Au⁹⁺ ions of fluences 1×10¹³ and 4×10¹³ ions/cm². Techniques like X-ray reflectivity (XRR), cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (X-TEM) and DC magnetization with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) are used for structural and magnetic characterization of pristine and irradiated MLS. Analysis of XRR data using Parratt’s formalism shows a significant increase in W/Fe layer roughness. X-TEM studies reveal that intra-layer microstructure of Fe layers in MLS becomes nano-crystalline on irradiation. DC magnetization study shows that with spacer layer thickness interlayer coupling changes between ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic.     

Competing exchange interactions in magnetic multilayers

We have studied alloying of the nonmagnetic spacer layer with a magnetic material as a method of tuning the interlayer coupling in magnetic multilayers. We have specifically studied the Fe/V(100) system by alloying the spacer V with various amounts of Fe. For some Fe concentrations in the spacer, it is possible to create a competition between antiferromagnetic Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida exchange and direct ferromagnetic exchange coupling. The exchange coupling and transport properties for a large span of systems with different spacer concentrations and thicknesses were calculated and measured experimentally and good agreement between observations and theory was observed. A reduction in magnetoresistance of about 50% was observed close to the switchover from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic coupling.     

Structure and magnetic properties of Fe4/Cun (n=2,4) superlattices from first-principles study

The structures and magnetic properties of Fe4/Cun (n=2, 4) superlattices have been investigated by the first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave method based on spin density approximation. Compared with the ideal fcc-Cu bulk structure, for the optimized Fe4/Cu2 model, obvious contraction of interlayer distances occurs on the interior Fe layers, whereas the interlayer distances of Fe layers in Fe4/Cu4 are expanded. The anti-parallel alignment magnetic moment and negative polarization of the interior Fe layer have been found in the Fe4/Cu2 model. This can be explained in terms of the magnetic-volume effect, and the moment of anti-parallel alignment attributes to the contracted interlayer distances between the interior Fe layers. The MR ratio has also been evaluated by means of the two-current model. The MR ratio of the Fe4/Cu2 model (4.89%) is much small than that of the Fe4/Cu4 one (23.65%).     

Oxygen-induced symmetrization and structural coherency in Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions

We present x-ray diffraction experiments and multiple-scattering calculations on the structure and transport properties of a Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Coherent growth of the top Fe electrode on the MgO spacer is observed only for Fe deposition in ambient oxygen atmosphere leading to a coherent and symmetric MTJ structure characterized by FeO layers at both interfaces. This goes in parallel with calculations indicating large positive tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) values in such symmetric junctions. The results have important implications for achieving giant TMR values.     

Local magnetic states and hyperfine interactions in Fe/Ti magnetic superlattices

Multilayer Fe/Ti films are synthesized by deposition in a Penning discharge. Measurements are made of thhe static hysteresis loops and Mössbauer spectra on Fe⁵⁷ nuclei. The hyperfine magnetic field distribution functions are calculated. It is established that the spontaneous magnetization of Fe/Ti magnetic superlattices undergoes very strong oscillations as a function of the Ti layer thickness. Three groups of peaks are noted in the hyperfine field distribution functions, corresponding to three nonequivalent states of the Fe ions, in one of which these ions do not have a characteristic magnetic moment. These results also agree with measurements of the temperature dependence of the magnetization in weak magnetic fields. For some Ti interlayer thicknesses the saturation magnetization scaled to the Fe content is much higher than the saturation magnetization of bulk Fe.     

Spacer induced magnetism and its effect on interlayer exchange coupling in Fe/(Pd,Cu, Au,Ag) multilayered nanowires

We have investigated the one dimensional Fe/Pd, Fe/Cu, Fe/Ag, and Fe/Au multilayered nanowire systems by using first principles density functional theory. Our study reveals a gain in the binding energies of these heterostructures regardless of nature of the spacer. We have identified the electronic structure dependent enhancement of magnetic properties, and a switching behavior of the interlayer exchange coupling, with respect to the nature and dimension of the nonmagnetic spacer layer. We observe a down-spin (minority) d-charge depletion at the Fe site and a up-spin d-charge gain at Pd site in Fe/Pd nanowire which accounts for the enhanced magnetic moment of the Fe atoms and the ferromagnetic behavior of the Pd, in contrast to the paramagnetism appearing in their bulk state. We find the interlayer exchange coupling, I _ex , in Fe/Pd nanowire to be very strong, and it shows a change of sign and a decrease in magnitude with increase in Pd spacer width. On the other hand, I _ex shows an unusual increasing trend with increase in the Cu spacer layer thickness.     

The effect of a nonmagnetic Zr layer on the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of Fe/Zr and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems

The magnetic and magneto-optical properties of nanocrystalline Fe/Zr and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems have been studied using the magneto-optical method. The strong effect of Zr layer thickness t _Zr on the magnetic properties of Fe/Zr samples was discovered. It was found that the value of the saturation field of the Fe/Zr/Fe systems oscillates as a function of t _Zr, which is explained by the oscillating character of the exchange interaction between ferromagnetic layers via a Zr spacer with the change in t _Zr. It was established that the values of the transverse Kerr effect depend on the thicknesses of both magnetic and nonmagnetic layers.     

An estimation of the magnetic disorder at Fe/Cr interfaces in coupled and non-coupled Fe/Cr multilayers

The antiferromagnetic coupling at the Fe/Cr interfaces, inferred from the orientation of the Cr magnetic moments, is used to estimate the magnetic disorder resulting from the interfacial roughness in Fe/Cr multilayers. A crossover from in-plane to out-of-plane orientation of Cr moments depends on the energy cost in either case: (i) to break the interfacial Fe–Cr antiferromagnetic coupling or (ii) having sites with frustrated Cr–Cr antiferromagnetic coupling in the Cr interlayers. A quantitative model of the magnetic frustration due to interfacial disorder in Fe/Cr multilayer systems is described. The step edge density, or terrace size, required to break the interfacial Fe–Cr coupling and destroy the Fe–Fe interlayer exchange coupling is estimated.     

Magnetic properties of Fe/ZnSe/Fe trilayers

The magnetic properties of Fe/Zn/Fe trilayers have been studied by ferromagnetic resonance and magnetization measurements. These measurements have been used to investigate the magnetic anisotropy of the iron layers and the magnetic coupling across the semiconductor spacer. The angular dependence of the resonance spectra has been measured in-plane and out-of-plane in order to deduce magnetic anisotropy constants of the samples. Experimental data were fitted by using an energy-density expression that includes bulk cubic anisotropy, growth-induced uniaxial in-plane anisotropy and perpendicular-surface anisotropy terms. A small ferromagnetic coupling is observed in the trilayers with spacer thickness up to .     

Study of the magnetism and the magnetic anisotropy of Fe layers in Ni/Fe/Ni(1 1 1) by Mössbauer spectroscopy

The hyperfine field and the magnetic anisotropy of a Fe layer as a function of thickness have been investigated in several Ni/⁵⁷Fe_x/Ni(1 1 1) trilayers with relatively thick Ni layers by Mössbauer spectroscopy. For Fe layers with thickness below 16 Å, the Mössbauer spectra show always the presence of two ferromagnetic phases with high-spin state. In the range between 6 and 8 Å, also a ferromagnetic phase with low-spin state and a paramagnetic phase have been found. The evolution of the mean hyperfine field of the ⁵⁷Fe nuclei is used to study the Fe growth. A structural FCCBCC phase transition is found to begin with an iron thickness of 8 Å. The easy direction of the magnetization is found out-of-plane for Fe interlayer with FCC structure, and perfectly in plane for Fe interlayer with BCC structure.     

Effect of diffusion and stresses on the magnetic properties of multilayer Fe/Pd and Fe/Ge films

Multilayer [Fe/Pd]₁₀ and [Fe/Ge]₁₀ films were studied using ferromagnetic resonance, magnetic-force and atomic-force microscopies, magneto-optical Kerr effect, and X-ray diffraction. It was shown that an increase in the interlayer thickness causes changes in magnetic parameters, such as the induced anisotropy, effective magnetization, coercive force, and the parameters of the fine magnetic structure. Reasons of the changes in the magnetic parameters were established.