Asymmetric Reversal in Inhomogeneous Magnetic Heterostructures

Abstract

Asymmetric magnetization reversal is an unusual phenomenon in antiferromagnet / ferromagnet (AF/FM) exchange biased bilayers. We investigated this phenomenon in a simple model system experimentally and by simulation assuming inhomogeneously distributed interfacial AF moments. The results suggest that the observed asymmetry originates from the intrinsic broken symmetry of the system, which results in local incomplete domain walls parallel to the interface in reversal to negative saturation of the FM. Magneto-optic Kerr effect unambiguously confirms such an asymmetric reversal and a depth-dependent FM domain wall in accord with the magnetometry and simulations.

4 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Anisotropy Dependence of Irreversible Switching in Fe/SmCo and FeNi/FePt Exchange Spring Magnet Films
• Bi-domain state in the exchange bias system FeF2/Ni
• Loop Bifurcation and Magnetization Rotation in Exchange Biased Ni/FeF2

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• New Reversal Mode in Exchange Coupled Antiferromagnetic/Ferromagnetic Disks: Distorted Viscous Vortex
• Deconvoluting Reversal Modes in Exchange Biased Nanodots
• Ion irradiation and implantation modifications of magneto-ionically induced exchange bias in Gd/NiCoO
• Dynamics of Spontaneous Magnetization Reversal in Exchange Biased Heterostructures
• Exchange-bias dependent diffusion rate of hydrogen discovered from evolution of hydrogen-induced noncollinear magnetic anisotropy in FePd thin films
• Controlling magnetic configuration in soft-hard bilayers probed by polarized neutron reflectometry
• Magnetization Vorticity and Exchange Bias Phenomena in Arrays of Small Asymmetric Magnetic Rings