We studied exchange bias in magnetic multilayers incorporating antiferromagent CoO doped with up to 35 atomic percent of Pt. The exchange bias increased with doping in epitaxial films, but did not significantly change in polycrystalline films at the lowest measured temperature of 5 K, and decreased at higher temperatures. We explain our results by the increased granularity of the doped antiferromagnetic films, resulting in simultaneous enhancement of the uncompensated spin density and reduction of the magnetic stability of antiferromagnetic grains.
We theoretically demonstrate that the ultrafast magnetic order dynamics in antiferromagnets is exchange-enhanced in comparison to their ferromagnetic counterparts. We provide an equation of motion for the magnetic order dynamics validated by computer simulations using atomistic spin dynamics methods. The exchange of angular momentum between sublattices speeds up the dynamics in antiferromagnets, a process absent in ferromagnets.
We employ the recently discovered antiferromagnetic tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance to study the behavior of antiferromagnetically ordered moments in IrMn exchange coupled to NiFe. Experiments performed by common laboratory tools for magnetization and electrical transport measurements allow us to directly link the broadening of the NiFe hysteresis loop and its shift (exchange bias) to the rotation and pinning of antiferromagnetic moments in IrMn. At higher temperatures, the broadened loops show zero shift which correlates with the observation of fully rotating antiferromagnetic moments…
The electronic structure of anti-ferromagnetic $Cr_{2}As$ is investigated. Anisotropy of exchange interactions between chrome sub-lattices is determined ($J^{X}(Cr_{I}-Cr_{II}) =4.77 meV,J^{Y}(Cr_{I}-Cr_{II}) =-6.36 meV$). The behavior of exchange integrals from magnetic structure is analyzed.
By means of micromagnetic spin dynamics calculations, a quantitative calculation is carried out to explore the mechanism of exchange bias (EB) in ferromagnetic (FM)/compensated antiferromagnetic (AFM) bilayers. The antiferromagnets with low and high Neel temperatures have been both considered, and the crossover from negative to positive EB is found only in the case with low Neel temperature. We propose that the mechanism of EB in FM/compensated AFM bilayers is due to the symmetry broken of AFM that yields some net ferromagnetic components.
This work reports an exchange bias (EB) effect up to room temperature in the binary intermetallic bulk compound Mn3.04Ge0.96. The sample annealed at 700 K crystallizes in a tetragonal structure with ferromagnetic ordering, whereas, the sample annealed at 1073 K crystallizes in a hexagonal structure with antiferromagnetic ordering. The hexagonal Mn3.04Ge0.96 sample exhibits an EB of around 70 mT at 2 K that continues with a non-zero value up to room temperature. The exchange anisotropy is proposed to be originating from the exchange interaction between the triangular antiferromagnetic host and …
Measurements of coherent electron spin dynamics in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As/Al(0.4)Ga(0.6)As quantum wells with 0.0006% < x < 0.03% show an antiferromagnetic (negative) exchange bewteen s-like conduction band electrons and electrons localized in the d-shell of the Mn2+ impurities. The magnitude of the s-d exchange parameter, N0 alpha, varies as a function of well width indicative of a large and negative contribution due to kinetic exchange. In the limit of no quantum confinement, N0 alpha extrapolates to -0.09 +/- 0.03 eV indicating that antiferromagnetic s-d exchange is a bulk property of GaMnAs. Measu…
In this work, IrMn$_{3}$/insulating-Y$_{3}$Fe$_{5}$O$_{12}$ exchange-biased bilayers are studied. The behavior of the net magnetic moment $Δm_{AFM}$ in the antiferromagnet is directly probed by anomalous and planar Hall effects, and anisotropic magnetoresistance. The $Δm_{AFM}$ is proved to come from the interfacial uncompensated magnetic moment. We demonstrate that the exchange bias and rotational hysteresis are induced by the irreversible switching of the $Δm_{AFM}$. In the training effect, the $Δm_{AFM}$ changes continuously. This work highlights the fundamental role of the $Δm_{AFM}$ in th…
The magnetic characteristics of polycrystalline exchange-biased antiferromagnet/ferromagnet-bilayers are determined by a complex interplay of parameters, describing structural and magnetic properties of the material system, including in particular the grain volume distribution of the antiferromagnet. An ideal characterization of such systems would be a non-destructive determination of the relevant parameters for each individual grain. This is in most cases not feasible, since typical characterization methods do average over larger areas. Here, we show that it is however possible to determine a…
Complementary nature of coercivity enhancement and exchange bias is generalized from the layered systems to ferro-antiferromagnet (F-AF) exchange coupled systems with arbitrary configurations and is proved based on the coherent rotation of the F magnetization. In the proof, the effect of F-AF coupling is absorbed into the anisotropy of the F part, resulting in an arbitrary anisotropy for the F part. The proof starts from a general discussion on the initial susceptibility of a single domain particle. Then the fundamental correlation between the maximal initial susceptibility and the critical fi…
Magnetic topological insulators such as Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 provide a platform for the realization of versatile time-reversal symmetry-breaking physics. By constructing heterostructures with Néel order in an antiferromagnetic CrSb and magnetic topological order in Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3, we realize emergent interfacial magnetic phenomena which can be tailored through artificial structural engineering. Through deliberate geometrical design of heterostructures and superlattices, we demonstrate the use of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling in manipulating the magnetic properties of the topologica…
The irreversible thermoremanent magnetization of a sole, magnetically diluted epitaxial antiferromagnetic Co$_{1-y}$O(100) layer is determined by the mean of its thermoremanent magnetizations at positive and negative remanence. During hysteresis-loop field cycling, thermoremanent magnetization exhibits successive reductions, consistent with the training effect (TE) of the exchange bias measured for the corresponding Co$_{1-y}$O(100)/Co bilayer. The TE of exchange bias is shown to have its microscopic origin in the TE of the irreversible thermoremanent magnetization of the magnetically diluted …
We investigated an out-of-plane exchange bias system that is based on the antiferromagnet MnN. Polycrystalline, highly textured film stacks of Ta / MnN / CoFeB / MgO / Ta were grown on SiO$_x$ by (reactive) magnetron sputtering and studied by x-ray diffraction and Kerr magnetometry. Nontrivial modifications of the exchange bias and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy were observed both as functions of film thicknesses as well as field cooling temperatures. In optimized film stacks, a giant perpendicular exchange bias of 3600 Oe and a coercive field of 350 Oe were observed at room temperature…
The exchange bias (EB) effect was discovered 60 years ago by Meiklejohn and Bean. Meanwhile the EB effect has become an integral part of modern magnetism with implications for basic research and for numerous device applications. The EB effect was the first of its kind which relates to an interface effect between two different classes of materials, here between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet. Here we review fundamental aspects of the exchange bias effect.
We have put into evidence the existence of an antiferromagnetic coupling between iron epilayers separated by a ZnSe crystalline semiconductor. The effect has been observed for ZnSe spacers thinner than 4 nm at room-temperature. The coupling constant increases linearly with temperature with a constant slope of ~5.5x 10-9 J/m2K. The mechanisms that may explain such exchange interaction are discussed in the manuscript. It results that thermally-induced effective exchange coupling mediated by spin-dependent on and off resonant tunnelling of electrons via localized mid-gap defect states in the ZnSe…
Exchange biased composites of ferromagnetic single-domain Ni nanoparticles embedded within large grains of MnO have been prepared by reduction of Ni$_x$Mn$_{1-x}$O$_4$ phases in flowing hydrogen. The Ni precipitates are 15-30 nm in extent, and the majority are completely encased within the MnO matrix. The manner in which the Ni nanoparticles are spontaneously formed imparts a high ferromagnetic- antiferromagnetic interface/volume ratio, which results in substantial exchange bias effects. Exchange bias fields of up to 100 Oe are observed, in cases where the starting Ni content $x$ in the precur…
Magnetic vortices have generated intense interest in recent years due to their unique reversal mechanisms, fascinating topological properties, and exciting potential applications. Additionally, the exchange coupling of magnetic vortices to antiferromagnets has also been shown to lead to a range of novel phenomena and functionalities. Here we report a new magnetization reversal mode of magnetic vortices in exchange coupled Ir20Mn80/Fe20Ni80 microdots: distorted viscous vortex reversal. Contrary to the previously known or proposed reversal modes, the vortex is distorted close to the interface an…
Antiferromagnetic spintronic devices have the potential to outperform conventional ferromagnetic devices due to their ultrafast dynamics and high data density. A challenge in designing these devices is the control and detection of the orientation of the anti-ferromagnet. One of the most promising ways to achieve this is through the exchange bias effect. This is of particular importance in large scale multigranular devices. Due to the large system sizes, previously, only micromagnetic simulations have been possible, these have an assumed distribution of antiferromagnetic anisotropy directions. …
Manipulation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spins by electrical means is on great demand to develop the AFM spintronics with low power consumption. In spite of the electrical modulation of insulated AFMs through coupling between their intrinsic ferroelectricity and antiferromagnetism, direct electrical control of AFM metals remains challenging due to the screening effect by the surface charge, and the manipulation is confined to a limited depth of atomic dimensions, which is insufficient to form a stable AFM exchange spring. In the present letter we primarily report a reversible electrical control…
The effect of nonmagnetic metal additives in metallic antiferromagnets (AFMs) on the exchange bias (EB) has been investigated from a structural, magnetic and Monte Carlo simulation point of view in bilayers of CoFe/IrMn:Cu. Dilution by Cu atoms throughout the volume of the AFM IrMn give rise to an enhanced EB field for temperatures between 5 K and 300 K. The thermoremanent magnetization of the AFM-only is also enhanced with dilution, shows qualitatively the same temperature dependence as EB field and is at the origin of the EB mechanism. Monte Carlo simulations based on a Heisenberg model and …
Magnetic skyrmions are topological spin textures holding great potential as nanoscale information carriers. Recently, skyrmions have been predicted in antiferromagnets, with key advantages in terms of stability, size, and dynamical properties over their ferromagnetic analogs. However, their experimental demonstration is still lacking. Here, we show the imprint from ferromagnetic skyrmions into a thin film of an IrMn antiferromagnet, at room temperature and zero external magnetic field, using exchange-bias. Using high-spatial-resolution x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron m…
The effect of orbital degrees of freedom on the exchange interactions in the spin-1 quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet CaV2O4 is systematically studied. For this purpose a realistic low-energy model with the parameters derived from the first-principles calculations is constructed. The exchange interactions are calculated using both the theory of infinitesimal spin rotations near the mean-field ground state and the superexchange model, which provide a consistent description. The obtained behaviour of exchange interactions substantially differs from the previously proposed phenomenological pi…
The exchange interaction determines the ferromagnetic (FM) or antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering of atomic spins. When ferromagnets and antiferromagnets are coupled together, they often exhibit the exchange bias effect, a unidirectional interface exchange field causing a shift of the magnetic hysteresis loop. The effective magnitude of this interface exchange field is at most a few percent of the bulk exchange, arising from pinned interfacial spins in the antiferromagnet. The pinned spins are known to comprise a small fraction of the total number of interface spins, yet their exact nature and ph…
We have employed Soft and Hard X-ray Resonant Magnetic Scattering and Polarised Neutron Diffraction to study the magnetic interface and the bulk antiferromagnetic domain state of the archetypal epitaxial Ni$_{81}$Fe$_{19}$(111)/CoO(111) exchange biased bilayer. The combination of these scattering tools provides unprecedented detailed insights into the still incomplete understanding of some key manifestations of the exchange bias effect. We show that the several orders of magnitude difference between the expected and measured value of exchange bias field is caused by an almost anisotropic in-pl…
We have performed magnetic measurements like temperature (T), cooling field (HFC) dependence of exchange bias (EB) and training effect to investigate the magnetic nature of the interface of the Fe/Ir20Mn80 systems. Thin film bilayer samples of different thicknesses of Ir20Mn80 have been prepared by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The variation of exchange bias field (HEB) with the increase in thickness of Ir20Mn80 predicts the antiferromagnet (AFM) bulk spins contribution to EB. Exponential decay of HEB and coercive field (HC) with temperature reveals the presence of spin glass (S…
The interlayer exchange coupling confers specific properties to Synthetic Antiferromagnets that make them suitable for several applications of spintronics. The efficient use of this magnetic configuration requires an in-depth understanding of the magnetic properties and their correlation with the material structure. Here we establish a reliable procedure to quantify the interlayer exchange coupling and the intralayer exchange stiffness in synthetic antiferromagnets; we apply it to the ultrasmooth and amorphous Co$_{40}$Fe$_{40}$B$_{20}$ (5-40 nm)/Ru/ Co$_{40}$Fe$_{40}$B$_{20}$ material platfor…
Characteristic temperatures in ferromagnetic - antiferromagnetic exchange biased systems are analyzed. In addition to usual blocking temperature of exchange bias $T_{B}$, and the Néel temperature of an antiferromagnet $T_{N}$, the inducing temperature $T_{ind}$, i.e., the temperature, at which the direction of exchange anisotropy is established, has been recently proposed. We demonstrate that this temperature is in general case different from $T_{B}$ and $T_{N}$. Physics and experimental approaches to measure the inducing temperature are discussed. Measurements of $T_{ind}$, in addition to $T_…
The materials exhibiting exchange bias (EB) have been extensively investigated mainly due to their great technological applications in magnetic sensors, but its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here we report the novel coexistence of in-plane and out-of-plane EB in the Cr-doped Mn3Sn, a non-colinear antiferromagnet with a geometrically frustrated Kagome plane of Mn. Field-cooling experiments with the applied field parallel and perpendicular to the frustrated Kagome plane exhibits loop shifts and enhanced coercivities. Interestingly, a maximum EB field of 1090 Oe is observed along out-of-p…
Current flowing is studied in magnetic junctions consisting of a ferromagnetic metal (FM), antiferromagnetic conductor (AFM) and a nonmagnetic metal closing the electric circuit. The FM layer with high anisotropy and pinned spins of the magnetic atoms in the lattice acts as a spin injector relative to the AFM layer. To obtain resulting magnetization in the AFM layer, magnetic field is applied, which may be varied to control the magnetization. The spin-polarized current from the FM layer creates a torque and makes it possible to switch the magnetization. A possibility is shown to lower the thre…
We report on the structural, electrical transport, and magnetic properties of antiferromagnetic transition-metal monochalcogenide Cr$_{0.79}$Se. Different from the existing off-stoichiometric compositions, Cr$_{0.79}$Se is found to be synthesised into the same NiAs-type hexagonal crystal structure of CrSe. Resistivity data suggest Cr$_{0.79}$Se to be a Fermi-liquid-type metal at low temperatures, while at intermediate temperatures the resistivity depends sublinearly on the temperature. Eventually, at the elevated temperatures the rate of change of resistivity rapidly decreases with increasing …
To understand spin interactions in materials of the Cu$_2$Sb structure type, inelastic neutron scattering of Fe$_2$As single crystals was examined at different temperatures and incident neutron energies. The experimental phonon spectra match well with the simulated phonon spectra obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The measured magnon spectra were compared to the simulated magnon spectra obtained via linear spin wave theory with the exchange coupling constants calculated using the spin polarized, relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method in Zhang et al. (2013). The sim…
In an effort to understand the low temperature behavior of recently synthesized molecular magnets we present numerical evidence for the existence of a rotational band in systems of quantum spins interacting with nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange. While this result has previously been noted for ring arrays with an even number of spin sites, we find that it also applies for rings with an odd number of sites as well as for all of the polytope configurations we have investigated (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, icosahedron, triangular prism, and axially truncated icosahedron). …
Ion-exchange treatment of Na2SnTeO6 in molten salt mixtures resulted in rosiaite (PbSb2O6)-related MnSnTeO6. Its crystal structure was refined by the Rietveld method. Of the three possible models of Sn/Te distribution, the disordered model ((P3 Im, a = 5.23093(11) A, c = 4.62430(16) A was preferred based on bond distances. However, it is supposed that each individual (SnTeO6)2- layer retains complete ordering of the precursor and the apparent disorder is only due to stacking faults. The magnetic studies have shown that MnSnTeO6 orders antiferromagnetically at Neel temperature TN = 9.8 K. The e…
The phenomena of exchange anisotropy is well known in terms of static magnetization properties such as enhanced coercivity and magnetization loop shifts. These effects are primarily associated with effective anisotropies introduced into the ferromagnet by exchange coupling with a strongly anisotropic antiferromagnet. These effective anisotropies can be understood as manifestations of a more fundamental exchange induced susceptibility. We show that a consequence of this view is that a class of unusual dynamic effects associated with the exchange susceptibility should also exist. The effects bec…
Mn$_2$Au is an important antiferromagnetic (AF) material for spintronics applications. Due to its very high Néel temperature of about 1500 K, some of the basic properties are difficult to explore, such as the AF susceptibility and the exchange constants. Experimental determination of these properties is further complicated in thin films by unavoidable presence of uncompensated and quasiloose spins on antisites and at interfaces. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), we have measured the spin and orbital contribution to the susceptibility in the direction perpendicular to the in-plane…
We report measurements of antiferromagnetic resonances in the van der Waals easy-axis antiferromagnet CrSBr. The interlayer exchange field and magnetocrystalline anisotropy fields are comparable to laboratory magnetic fields, allowing a rich variety of gigahertz-frequency dynamical modes to be accessed. By mapping the resonance frequencies as a function of the magnitude and angle of applied magnetic field we identify the different regimes of antiferromagnetic dynamics. The spectra show good agreement with a Landau-Lifshitz model for two antiferromagnetically-coupled sublattices, accounting for…
Independently exchange biased subsystems can coexist in FeF2/Ni bilayers after various field-cooling protocols. We find double hysteresis loops for intermediate cooling fields, while for small or large cooling fields a negatively or positively shifted single loop, respectively, are encountered. Both the subloops and the single loops have the same absolute value of the exchange bias field, mu_0 H_E = 0.09 T. This suggests that the antiferromagnet breaks into two magnetic subsystems with opposite signs but equal magnitude of bias acting on the ferromagnet. In this case the ferromagnet does not e…
The properties of antiferromagnetic ferromagnetic bilayer have been studied using self-consistent mean-field approximation for Heisenberg Hamiltonian. The perpendicular exchange coupling has been revealed in a bilayer with a compensated interface. For a uniform antiferromagnetic film a symmetrical hysteresis loop has been calculated, because the transverse instability develops within the antiferromagnetic film at certain critical value of external magnetic field. On the other hand, shifted hysteresis loop with a finite exchange bias field has been obtained for a non-uniform antiferromagnetic f…
In epitaxially grown CoO(111)/Co(111) bilayers we have determined the blocking temperature distribution f(Tb), which is correlated with the antiferromagnetic domain size (z) distribution f(z). The latter is probed by reversing antiferromagnetic domains at successively higher temperatures in the reversed cooling field. The implementation of nonmagnetic defects throughout the antiferromagnet CoO is found to give rise to a broadening of the domain size distribution f(z) within CoO as evidenced by a broadened f(Tb). This broadening is responsible for an enhancement of the exchange bias field.
Nanostructured Fe dots were prepared on antiferromagnetic FeF2 thin films and investigated by magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). We studied the influence of dot sizes on the magnetic hysteresis and compared the result with both continuous thin film bilayers and nanostructured Fe/FeF2 pillars. Hysteresis loops were measured at temperatures below and above (10 and 90 K, respectively) the Neel temperature of the antiferromagnet. A vortex state is found for dots of 300 nm diameter, where the exchange bias field is reduced compared to larger dot system and the continuous bilayer. Micromagnetic sim…
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is at the heart of many modern developments in the research field of spintronics. DMI is known to generate noncollinear magnetic textures, and can take two forms in antiferromagnets: homogeneous or inter-sublattice, leading to small, canted moments and inhomogeneous or intra-sublattice, leading to formation of chiral structures. In this work, we first determine the strength of the effective field created by the DMI, using SQUID based magnetometry and transport measurements, in thin films of the antiferromagnetic iron oxide hematite, $α$-Fe$_2$O$_3$. …
We report the effect of exchange frustration on the magnetocaloric properties of GdCrTiO$_5$ compound. Due to the highly exchange-frustrated nature of magnetic interaction, in GdCrTiO$_5$, the long-range antiferromagnetic ordering occurs at much lower temperature $T_N$=0.9 K and the magnetic cooling power enhances dramatically relative to that observed in several geometrically frustrated systems. Below 5 K, isothermal magnetic entropy change (-$ΔS_{\rm m}$) is found to be 36 J kg$^{-1}$ K$^{-1}$, for a field change ($ΔH$) of 7 T. Further, -$ΔS_{\rm m}$ does not decrease from its maximum value …
Exchange bias is a horizontal shift of the hysteresis loop observed for a ferromagnetic layer in contact with an antiferromagnetic layer. Since exchange bias is related to the spin structure of the antiferromagnet, for its fundamental understanding a detailed knowledge of the physics of the antiferromagnetic layer is inevitable. A model is investigated where domains are formed in the volume of the AFM stabilized by dilution. These domains become frozen during the initial cooling procedure carrying a remanent net magnetization which causes and controls exchange bias. Varying the anisotropy of t…
Exchange bias is usually rationalized invoking spin pinning effects caused by uncompensated antiferromagnetic interfaces. However, for compensated antiferromagnets other extrinsic factors, such as interface roughness or spin canting, have to be considered to produce a small uncompensation. As an alternative, here we propose two (related) possible mechanisms, driven by the intrinsic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and ferroelectric polarization, for the explanation of exchange bias effects in perovskites with compensated G-type antiferromagnetism. One of the mechanisms is only active when a m…
We present a comprehensive study of the exchange bias effect in a model system. Through numerical analysis of the exchange bias and coercive fields as a function of the antiferromagnetic layer thickness we deduce the absolute value of the averaged anisotropy constant of the antiferromagnet. We show that the anisotropy of IrMn exhibits a finite size effect as a function of thickness. The interfacial spin disorder involved in the data analysis is further supported by the observation of the dual behavior of the interfacial uncompensated spins. Utilizing soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectometry …
We discuss the ground state of Benzene dianion (Bz$^{2-}$) on the basis of the numerical diagonalization method of an effective model of $π$ orbitals. It is found that the ground state can be the spin singlet state, and the exchange coupling between LUMOs can be antiferromagnetic.
A topological state with simultaneous nonzero Chern number and spin Chern number is possible for electrons on honeycomb lattice based on band engineering by staggered electric potential and antiferromagnetic exchange field in presence of intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. With first principles calculation we confirm that the scheme can be realized by material modification in perovskite G-type antiferromagnetic insulators grown along [111] direction, where d electrons hop on a single buckled honeycomb lattice. This material is ideal for spintronics applications, since it provides a spin-polarized q…
For ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayers, rotation of the easy axis has been \textit{for the first time} observed during measurements of training effect and the recovery of exchange bias using FeNi/FeMn system. These salient phenomena strongly suggest irreversible motion of antiferromagnet spins during subsequent measurements of hysteresis loops. It is found that the rotation of the easy axis can partly account for the training effect and the recovery of the exchange bias.
This paper reports our Monte Carlo (MC) studies aiming to explain the experimentally observed paramagnetic molecule induced antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes. Recently developed magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSDs), which were prepared by chemically bonding the paramagnetic molecules between the FM electrodes along the exposed side edges of magnetic tunnel junctions, exhibited molecule induced strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Our MC studies focused on the atomic model analogous to the MTJMSD and studied the effect of molecu…
Ultrafast manipulation of magnetic order has challenged our understanding the fundamental and dynamic properties of magnetic materials. So far single shot magnetic switching has been limited to ferrimagnetic alloys and multilayers. In ferromagnetic (FM)/antiferromagnetic (AFM) bilayers, exchange bias (He) arises from the interfacial exchange coupling between the two layers and reflects the microscopic orientation of the antiferromagnet. Here we demonstrate the possibility of single shot switching of the antiferromagnet (change of the sign and amplitude of He) with a single femtosecond laser pu…
The magnetic properties of trilayers consisting of a diluted magnetic alloy, CuMn (Cu0.99Mn0.01), a soft ferromagnet, Py(Ni0.8Fe0.2), and an antiferromagnet, alpha-Fe2O3, were investigated. The samples, grown by UHV magnetron sputtering, were magnetically characterized in the temperature range T = 3-100 K. Typical exchange bias features, namely clear hysteresis cycle shifts and coercivity enhancements, were observed. Moreover the presence of an inverse bias, which had been already reported for spin glass-based structures, was also obtained in a well defined range of temperatures and CuMn thick…
Exchange bias (EB) and the training effects (TE) in an antiferromagnetically coupled La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 / SrRuO3 superlattices were studied in the temperature range 1.8 - 150 K. Strong antiferromagnetic (AFM) interlayer coupling is evidenced from AC - susceptibility measurements. Below 100 K, vertical magnetization shifts are present due to the two remanent states corresponding to the two ferromagnetic (FM) layers at FM and AFM coupling condition. After field cooling (FC), significant decrease in the exchange bias field (HEB) is observed when cycling the system through several consecutive hysteres…
In antiferromagnetic spintronics, the read-out of the staggered magnetization or Neel vector is the key obstacle to harnessing the ultra-fast dynamics and stability of antiferromagnets for novel devices. Here, we demonstrate strong exchange coupling of Mn2Au, a unique metallic antiferromagnet that exhibits Neel spin-orbit torques, with thin ferromagnetic Permalloy layers. This allows us to benefit from the well-estabished read-out methods of ferromagnets, while the essential advantages of antiferromagnetic spintronics are retained. We show one-to-one imprinting of the antiferromagnetic on the …
Mn$_2$VAl Heusler alloy films were epitaxially grown on MgO(100) single crystal substrates by means of ultra-high-vacuum magnetron sputtering. A2 and L2$_1$ type Mn$_2$VAl order was controlled by the deposition temperatures. A2-type Mn$_2$VAl films showed no spontaneous magnetization and L2$_1$-type Mn$_2$VAl films showed ferrimagnetic behavior with a maximum saturation magnetization of 220 emu/cm$^3$ at room temperature. An antiferromagnetic reflection was observed with neutron diffraction at room temperature for an A2-type Mn$_2$VAl film deposited at 400$^\circ$C. A bilayer sample of the ant…
Antiferromagnetic materials are of great interest for spintronics. Here we present a comprehensive study of the growth, structural characterization, and resulting magnetic properties of thin films of the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn$_{3}$Ir. Using epitaxial engineering on MgO (001) and Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ (0001) single crystal substrates, we control the growth of cubic $γ$-Mn$_{3}$Ir in both (001) and (111) crystal orientations, and discuss the optimization of growth conditions to achieve high-quality crystal structures with low surface roughness. Exchange bias is studied in bilayers, with exc…
