Magnetic layer thickness dependence of the interlayer exchange coupling in (001) Co/Cu/Co

P. J. H. Bloemen; M. T. Johnson; M. T. H. van de Vorst; R. Coehoorn; J. J. de Vries; R. Jungblut; J. aan de Stegge; A. Reinders; W. J. M. de Jonge

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.764

Magnetic layer thickness dependence of the interlayer exchange coupling in (001) Co/Cu/Co

P. J. H. Bloemen, M. T. Johnson, M. T. H. van de Vorst, R. Coehoorn, J. J. de Vries, R. Jungblut, J. aan de Stegge, A. Reinders, and W. J. M. de Jonge

Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 764 – Published 31 January 1994

Abstract

A dependence of the strength of the antiferromagnetic coupling across Cu on the Co layer thickness has been observed in an epitaxial fcc (001) triple wedge sample containing two Co wedges and one Cu wedge. Our result is consistent with an oscillation period of 6–7 Å Co—a value that agrees with the period of 3.5 monolayers of Co derived from the extremal wave vector that spans the ellipsoidal hole pocket centered at the X point of the fcc Co spin-down Fermi surface. This shows that the interlayer exchange coupling does not just involve an interaction localized at the interfaces, but is a property of the sandwich as a whole.

Received 22 October 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.72.764

Authors & Affiliations

P. J. H. Bloemen, M. T. Johnson, M. T. H. van de Vorst, R. Coehoorn, J. J. de Vries, R. Jungblut, J. aan de Stegge, A. Reinders, and W. J. M. de Jonge

Department of Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology (EUT), 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Philips Research Laboratories, Prof. Holstlaan 4, AA Eindhoven, The Netherlands