Evidence for an anisotropy-induced non-collinear spin state in exchange-coupled Co/Cu(001)

The magnetization behaviour of a Co/Cu/Co(001) sandwich has been studied by magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. The sample was grown by molecular beam epitaxy onto a sapphire (1.2) substrate with a Cu/Cr/Nb(001) buffer system. The copper layer had the form of a wedge with the thickness range chosen to be around the second region of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling. The hysteresis loops in the regime of weak antiferromagnetic coupling show characteristic steps, which can be explained by an anisotropy-induced non-collinear spin state. Indication for a similar behaviour is also found in the regime of strong antiferromagnetic coupling. This behaviour is explained by taking into account the competition between anisotropy, interlayer exchange coupling and external field energy. The nature of this metastable non-collinear magnetization state is in marked contrast to the biquadratic (90°) exchange coupling which was discovered in Fe/Cr(001).