The fragile magnetic structures of Fe/CeH2−δ multilayers

Fe/CeH_2−δ multilayers exhibit at room temperature evidence of interlayer exchange coupling. Subsequent Fe layers are either parallel or antiparallel to each other, depending on the Fe and CeH_2−δ layer thickness. However, when both layers have thickness larger than 15 Å, the antiferromagnetic structure becomes fragmented into domains laterally limited to a few microns, and the magnetic structures become very fragile. Small magnetic fields of a few Oersteds acting on the samples during growth induce helimagnetic configurations which coexist with antiferromagnetic coupling. The magnetic structures can be permanently destroyed by applying magnetic fields larger than 150 Oe.     

Magnetic and transport properties of sputtered Fe/Si multilayers

The structural, magnetic and transport properties of sputtered Fe/Si multilayers were studied. The analyses of the data of the X-ray diffraction, resistance and magnetic measurements show that heavy atomic interdiffusion between Fe and Si occurs, resulting in multilayers of different complicated structures according to different sublayer thicknesses. The nominal Fe layers in the multilayers generally consist of Fe layers doped with Si, ferromagnetic Fe-Si silicide layers and nonmagnetic Fe-Si silicide interface layers, while the nominal Si spacers turn out to be Fe-Si compound layers with additional amorphous Si sublayers only under the condition either for the series or for the series multilayers. A strong antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling and negative magnetoresistance (MR) effect, about 1%, were observed only in multilayers with iron silicide spacers and disappeared when -Si layers appear in the spacers. The dependences of MR on and on bilayer numbers N resemble the dependence of AFM coupling. The increase of MR ratio with increasing N is mainly attributed to the improvement of AFM coupling for multilayers with N. The dependence of MR ratio is similar to that in metal/metal system with predominant bulk spin dependent scattering and is fitted by a phenomenological formula for GMR. At 77 K both the MR effect and saturation field increase. All these facts suggest that the mechanisms of the AFM coupling and MR effect in sputtered Fe/Si multilayers are similar to those in metal/metal system. Received: 11 February 1998 / Revised: 9 March 1998 / Accepted: 9 March 1998     

Interlayer Exchange Coupling Across Quasi-Amorphous Ti-Co and Zr-Co Spacers

Co/Ti and Co/Zr multilayers with wedge-shaped and constant-thickness Ti and Zr sublayers were prepared using UHV DC/RF magnetron sputtering. Results showed that the Co sublayers are ferromagnetically coupled up to Ti and Zr spacer thickness of about 1.9 and 2.4 nm, respectively. Furthermore, a weak antiferromagnetic coupling of the Co sublayers was observed for a Ti (Zr) thickness range between 1.9 and 2.7 nm (2.4 and 3.2 nm). The Co sublayers are very weakly exchange coupled or decoupled for d _Ti 2.7 nm and d _Zr 3.2 nm. The rapid decrease of the interlayer exchange coupling could be explained by its strong damping due to formation of a non-magnetic quasi-amorphous Ti-Co and Zr-Co alloy layer at the interfaces.     

Temperature dependence of the exchange coupling in CO/SI(or Ge)/Fe trilayers

The temperature dependences of interfacial exchange coupling in Co/semiconductor (SM)/Fe trilayers (SM≡Si or Ge) with different spacer thicknesses are investigated. Only one step is found in the third (not in the first) quadrant of the hysteresis loop of the trilayers with different SM thicknesses, which is ascribed to a larger interfacial coupling strength of Co/CoGe (or Co/CoSi) than of Fe/FeGe (or Fe/FeSi). Furthermore, in comparison with Co/Ge/Fe, a smaller exchange bias field H_E and no clear step are observed in Co/Si/Fe, which may originate from the weaker interfacial coupling in this trilayer. The variation of coercivity H_C with spacer thickness at low temperatures in Co/Ge/Fe is different from that in Co/Si/Fe, indicating again the important effect of the SM layer in the trilayers.     

Magnetic resonance in multilayer Gd/Si/Co magnetic films

The magnetic properties of multilayer Gd/Si/Co magnetic films are experimentally studied by electron magnetic resonance and analyzed theoretically. The introduction of a semiconductor silicon interlayer is found to substantially affect the magnetic interlayer coupling and the magnetic dynamics of the system. The interlayer coupling is shown to be ferromagnetic for the (Gd/Si)_n films and to be antiferromagnetic for the (Gd/Si/Co/Si)_n films. The temperature dependences of the exchange parameters and the gyromagnetic ratios are determined. Possible mechanisms responsible for the formation of the interlayer coupling are discussed.     

Fe/Si多层膜的层间耦合与界面扩散

对以本征Si及重掺杂ｐ型和ｎ型Si作为中间层的Fe/Si多层膜的层间耦合进行研究，并通过退火，增大Fe，Si之间的扩散，分析界面扩散对层间耦合的影响. 实验结果表明，层状结构良好的制备态的多层膜，Fe，Si之间也存在一定程度的扩散，它是影响层间耦合的 主要因素，远远超过了半导体意义上的重掺杂，使不同种类的Si作为中间层的层间耦合基本 一致.进一步还发现，在一定范围内增大Fe，Si之间的扩散，即使多层膜的层状结构已经有了相当的退化，Fe/Si多层膜的反铁磁耦合强度基本保持不变. 关键词： Fe/Si多层膜 层间耦合 界面扩散     

Hydrogen-controlled interlayer exchange coupling in Fe/LaHx multilayers

Magneto-optic Kerr magnetometry and neutron reflectometry reveal that Fe layers exhibit magnetic exchange coupling through LaH_x spacer layers. Ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic coupling is observed on multilayers of these materials depending on the thickness of the hydride layers, but without oscillatory behavior. Starting from metallic La dihydride spacer layers the effect of dissolving increasingly more hydrogen was examined. Sign and value of the coupling depend crucially on the hydrogen content x. The coupling can be inverted from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic and vice versa. These alterations are due to modifications of the electronic structure of the hydride. When the hydrogen absorption saturates the hydride layers become insulating and the exchange coupling is likely to disappear. In this final state the multilayers are always characterized by a very soft ferromagnetic rectangular hysteresis curve. Upon removal of the hydrogen to the initial concentration the original magnetic structure is restored.     

Magnetic phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect in the Fe-doped MnNiGe alloys

The magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric effects in Fe-doped MnNiGe alloys are investigated. The substitution of Fe for Ni decreases the structural transition temperature remarkably, resulting in the magnetostructural transition occurring between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states in MnNi_{1 - x}Fe_xGe alloy. Owing to the enhanced ferromagnetic coupling induced by the substitution of Fe, metamagnetic behaviour is also observed in TiNiSi-type phase of MnNi_{1 - x}Fe_xGe alloys at temperature below the structural transition temperature.     

Exchange couplings in magnetic films

Recent advances in the study of exchange couplings in magnetic films are introduced.To provide a comprehensive understanding of exchange coupling,we have designed different bilayers,trilayers and multilayers,such as anisotropic hard/soft-magnetic multilayer films,ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic trilayers,[Pt/Co]/NiFe/NiO heterostructures,Co/NiO and Co/NiO/Fe trilayers on an anodic aluminum oxide(AAO) template.The exchange-coupling interaction between soft-and hard-magnetic phases,interlayer and interfacial exchange couplings and magnetic and magnetotransport properties in these magnetic films have been investigated in detail by adjusting the magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic layers and by changing the thickness of the spacer layer,ferromagnetic layer,and antiferromagnetic layer.Some particular physical phenomena have been observed and explained.     

Magnetic remanent states in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers

In antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy unusual multidomain textures can be stabilized due to a close competition between long-range demagnetization fields and short-range interlayer exchange coupling. In particular, the formation and evolution of specific topologically stable planar defects within the antiferromagnetic ground state, i.e. wall-like structures with a ferromagnetic configuration extended over a finite width, explain configurational hysteresis phenomena recently observed in [Co/Pt(Pd)]/Ru and [Co/Pt]/NiO multilayers. Within a phenomenological theory, we have analytically derived the equilibrium sizes of these “ferroband” defects as functions of the antiferromagnetic exchange, a bias magnetic field, and geometrical parameters of the multilayers. In the magnetic phase diagram, the existence region of the ferrobands mediates between the regions of patterns with sharp antiferromagnetic domain walls and regular arrays of ferromagnetic stripes. The theoretical results are supported by magnetic force microscopy images of the remanent states observed in [Co/Pt]/Ru.     

Magnetic Properties of Fe/Ni and Fe/Co Multilayer Thin Films

In this work, the magnetic and transport properties of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co multilayers grown on Si/SiO₂ substrates have been studied. The samples have been prepared by two-stage deposition process. In the first stage, Fe layer and SiO₂ interlayer of both samples are grown by ion beam deposition technique at room temperature. Then the samples are taken out to ambient atmosphere and loaded into a pulse laser deposition (PLD) chamber. Prior to the deposition of top layer, the samples are cleaned by annealing at 150 °C. In the second stage, Ni (or Co) layer is prepared by PLD technique at room temperature. The thickness of deposited layers has been measured by Rutherford back scattering (RBS). Magnetic properties of ferromagnetic bilayers have been investigated by room-temperature ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. Standard four-point magneto-transport measurements at various temperatures have been performed. Two-step switching in the in-plane hysteresis loops of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co samples is observed. A crossing in the middle of hysteresis loops of both samples points to a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the magnetic layers of the stacks. Saturation magnetization values have been obtained from the VSM measurements of samples with DC magnetic field perpendicular to the films surface. Magneto-transport measurements have shown the predominant contribution of anisotropic magnetic resistance both at room and low temperatures. FMR studies of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co samples have revealed additional non-uniform (surface and bulk SWR) modes, which behavior has been explained in the framework of the surface inhomogeneity model. An origin of the antiferromagnetic interaction has been discussed.     

Interlayer exchange coupling,crystalline and magnetic structure in Fe/CsCl–FeSi multilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Crystalline and magnetic structure as well as the interlayer exchange coupling in MBE grown Fe/FeSi multilayers are investigated. From conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy and ion beam channeling measurements the spacer FeSi material is found to be stabilized in a crystalline metastable metallic FeSi phase with the CsCl structure. Strong non-oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling is identified with magnetometry and synchrotron Mössbauer reflectometry. From the fits of the time spectrum and the resonant ?—? scans a model for the sublayer magnetization of the multilayer is deduced.

     

Oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling and its temperature dependence in [Pt/Co]3/NiO/[Co/Pt]3 multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy

Interlayer exchange coupling that oscillates between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic as a function of NiO thickness has been observed in [Pt(5 A)/Co(4 A)](3)/NiO(t(NiO) A)/[Co(4 A)/Pt(5 A)](3) multilayers with out-of-plane anisotropy. The period of oscillation corresponds to approximately 2 monolayers of NiO. This oscillatory behavior is possibly attributed to the antiferromagnetic ordering in NiO. The antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling for the 11 A NiO layer shows an increase in coupling strength with increasing temperature, in agreement with the quantum interference model of Bruno for insulating spacer layers. A coexistence of exchange biasing and antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling has been observed below T=250 K.     

Oscillatory ferromagnetic interlayer coupling in [Pt(5 Å)/Co(4 Å)]3/Cr(x Å)/[Co(4 Å)/Pt(12 Å)]3 multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy

Investigation has been performed on the interlayer coupling between two Co/Pt multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy separated by Cr spacers. As a function of the Cr spacer thickness, only ferromagnetic interlayer coupling has been observed between the two Co/Pt multilayers in contrast to the oscillatory interlayer coupling between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic observed in ferromagnetic layers with in-plane anisotropy separated by Cr spacers. It is the strength of the ferromagnetic interlayer coupling that has been observed to be oscillatory as a function of the Cr spacer thickness with a period of about 7 Å.     

Antiferromagnetic coupling between Co/Ni multilayers with perpendicular magnetization across MBE-grown Cu(111) layers

A cleat oscillatory exchange coupling has been observed for an epitaxial (111) M₁/Cu/M₂ structure, grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on a single crystal Cu(111) substrate. The magnetic layers M₁ and M₂ were designed to have perpendicular easy axis by using Co/Ni multilayers. The Cu layer was deposited in the form of a wedge. The magneto-optically measured hysteresis loops show, in the case of antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling, clear first-order spin-flip transitions between the saturated and antiparallel states. Signatures of a ferromagnetic or biquadratic component, observed earlier in loops of an AF coupled Co/Cu/Co(111) sandwich, were absent in the present loops. The absence of these signatures is believed to be a consequence of the relatively strong (perpendicular) uniaxial anisotropy of the present samples.     

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.     

Out-of-plane exchange bias and magnetic anisotropy in MnPd/Co multilayers

Magnetic and structural properties in [MnPd/Co]₁₀ multilayers deposited onto Si(1 1 1) substrates have been investigated. The dependences of anisotropy and exchange bias on the thicknesses of both MnPd and Co layers have been studied. In most of the samples, the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy and both large out-of-plane and in-plane exchange biases have been observed at cryogenic temperature below the blocking temperature T_B≈240 K. With appropriate MnPd and Co thicknesses, we have obtained samples with a large out-of-plane exchange bias along with a large out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. The origin of the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in the samples has been suggested to be due to the formation of CoPd interfacial alloys which have tensile in-plane strains, while the spin structure of the antiferromagnetic layer at the interface which is believed to be responsible for exchange bias may be the same as that of the bulk material. Also, the present study shows that the interplay between the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy and exchange bias is evident in our multilayers and plays an important role in the out-of-plane exchange-bias mechanism.     

[Fe/Cr]多层膜及掺入Si中介层后的层间耦合和磁电阻效应

用真空蒸镀方法制备了［Ｆｅ／Ｃｒ］，［Ｆｅ／Ｃｒ／Ｓｉ］和［Ｆｅ／Ｓｉ］多层膜．研究了Ｃｒ层、Ｓｉ层和Ｃｒ＋Ｓｉ层厚度变化对层间耦合和磁电阻的影响．Ｆｅ层厚为２ｎｍ，Ｃｒ层厚度变化存在耦合振荡和巨磁电阻及其振荡．磁电阻值为１４.６％（４.２Ｋ）．在Ｃｒ层中加入一半Ｓｉ层或全部由Ｓｉ层替代，振荡消失，磁电阻减小到千分之几．根据掺Ｓｉ层后多层膜的电阻率变化，认为Ｓｉ加入使非磁层中自由电子数减少，随之极化效应也变弱，导致振荡消失，磁电阻大为降低 关键词：     

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.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Pr3(Fe1−xCox)27.5Ti1.5 (x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3)

A novel class of Co-substituted 3 : 29 materials, Pr₃(Fe_1−xCo_x)_27.5Ti_1.5 (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) have been synthesized. Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction patterns for the x=0, 0.1 and 0.2 compositions showed that nearly all of the compounds are formed in monoclinic symmetry, with A2/m space group with traces of α-Fe, whereas, in x=0.3, additional traces of a (Co/Fe)–Ti (1 : 12) phase are also seen. The saturation magnetization increases with Co concentration both at 5 and 300 K and is explained on the basis of a rigid band model. A magnetic transition is observed for x=0.1 near 240 K. A large increase in Curie temperature, of about 180 K for x=0.1 and about 110 K for the other concentrations, is discussed on the basis of the strengthening of TM–TM exchange by the preferential occupation of Co in some of the Fe sites originally participating in antiferromagnetic bonds.