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Pinned Co moments in a polycrystalline permalloy/CoO exchange-biased bilayer

E. Blackburn, C. Sanchez-Hanke, S. Roy, D. J. Smith, J.-I. Hong, K. T. Chan, A. E. Berkowitz, and S. K. Sinha
Phys. Rev. B 78, 180408(R) – Published 14 November 2008

Abstract

We have measured element-specific magnetization depth profiles across the interface between a polycrystalline ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet in an exchange-biased bilayer of Py/CoO. Using soft x-ray resonant reflectivity we have identified a thin (0.5 nm) layer containing uncompensated Co magnetization at the interface with the Py. The majority of this magnetization follows the external field; however, 10% of the magnetization in this interfacial layer is pinned antiparallel to the cooling field used when biasing the sample, consistent with the negative exchange bias in this bilayer system, provided that the pinned Co spins are antiferromagnetically coupled to the ferromagnetic layer.

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  • Received 13 July 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.78.180408

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

E. Blackburn1,*, C. Sanchez-Hanke2, S. Roy3, D. J. Smith4, J.-I. Hong5, K. T. Chan6, A. E. Berkowitz1,6, and S. K. Sinha1

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
  • 2National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
  • 3Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 4Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1504, USA
  • 5School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
  • 6Center for Magnetic Recording Research, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA

  • *Present address: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom.

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Issue

Vol. 78, Iss. 18 — 1 November 2008

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