Anisotropic pinned/biased magnetization in $SrRu{O}_3/SrMn{O}_3$ superlattices

Abstract

The exchange coupling at the interfaces of magnetic superlattices consisting of ferromagnetic $SrRu{O}_3$ and antiferromagnetic $SrMn{O}_3$ grown on (001) oriented $SrTi{O}_3$ is studied with in-plane and out-of-plane orientations, with respect to the substrate plane, of the cooling magnetic field. The magnetization of the in-plane, field cooled hysteresis loop is lower than the corresponding in-plane zero-field-cooled hysteresis loop. The out-of-plane field cooled hysteresis loop is shifted, from the origin, along the graphical magnetization axis. We attribute this irreversible rotation of the moment to the pinning/biasing of spin in the $SrRu{O}_3$ layer in the vicinity of interfaces by the antiferromagnetic $SrMn{O}_3$ layer.

To be published in Eur. Jour. Phys. B for a topical issue on "new trends in magnetic exchange bias phenomena"