Long-range exchange coupling between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet across a nonmagnetic spacer layer

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Date
1997-04-15
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Publisher
American Institute of Physics
Abstract
The antiferromagnet/ferromagnet exchange coupling giving rise to a shifted hysteresis loop has usually been considered an interfacial effect. We show evidence that this exchange coupling between an antiferromagnet (CoO) and a ferromagnet (Ni81Fe19) is long range in nature. Exchange coupling has been observed in tri-layer films consisting of a nonmagnetic noble metal (Ag, Au, and Cu) spacer layer sandwiched between 300 Å CoO and 300 Å NiFe. The strength of the coupling decreases with increasing spacer layer thickness and vanishes at about 55 Å. This suggests that the antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic exchange coupling is beyond an interfacial effect, and that conduction electrons may be involved in the mediation of the coupling
Description
Keywords
Ni81Fe19-CoO, long-range exchange coupling, antiferromagnet, ferromagnet, nickel alloys, magnetic hysteresis, long-range orde, interfacial effect, conduction electrons, Au spacer layer, Cu spacer layer, iron alloys, ferromagnetic materials, exchange interactions (electron), cobalt compounds, antiferromagnetic materials, Ni81Fe19-Ag-CoO, Ni81Fe19-Au-CoO, Ni81Fe19-Cu-CoO
Citation
Source: Journal of Applied Physics 15 April 1997, vol.81, no.8, pp. 4999-5001