In-plane magnetisation anisotropy of FeCr superlattices with biquadratic exchange coupling

Ustinov, V. V.; Milyaev, M. A.; Romashev, L. N.; Криницина, Т. П.; Кравцов, Е. А.

doi:10.1016/s0304-8853(00)01138-0

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For recent investigations on such superlattices, see [2,3,4,5,6] and references in [7,8]. These synthetic antiferromagnets are of great interest in modern nanomagnetism, in particular due to their application in spin electronics [9] and high-density recording technologies [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In view of their magnetic states and field-induced reorientation transitions, these antiferromagnetically coupled superlattices can be separated into two groups: (1) Systems with magnetization in the film plane and low (higherorder) anisotropies only, e.g., multilayers grown on (001) faces of cubic substrates [3] with a four-fold anisotropy owing to the magneto-crystalline anisotropies of the materials (for further references and a survey of their magnetic properties, see [8]). In these high symmetry systems, magnetic states are mainly determined under competing influence of bilinear and biquadratic exchange interactions and the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reorientation in antiferromagnetic multilayers: Spin‐flop transition and surface effects

Rößler

Bogdanov

2004

phys. stat. sol. (c)

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Nanoscale superlattices with uniaxial ferromagnetic layers antiferromagnetically coupled through non-magnetic spacers are recently used as components of magnetoresistive and recording devices. In the last years intensive experimental investigations of these artificial antiferromagnets have revealed a large variety of surface induced reorientational effects and other remarkable phenomena unknown in other magnetic materials. In this paper we review and generalize theoretical results, which enable a consistent description of the complex magnetization processes in antiferromagnetic multilayers, and we explain the responsible physical mechanism. The general structure of phase diagrams for magnetic states in these systems is discussed. In particular, our results resolve the long standing problem of a "surface spin-flop" in antiferromagnetic layers. This explains the different appearance of field-driven reorientation transitions in systems like Fe/Cr (001) and (211) [2,3,4,5,6] and references in [7,8]. These synthetic antiferromagnets are of great interest in modern nanomagnetism, in particular due to their application in spin electronics [9] and high-density recording technologies [10].In view of their magnetic states and field-induced reorientation transitions, these antiferromagnetically coupled superlattices can be separated into two groups: (1) Systems with magnetization in the film plane and low (higherorder) anisotropies only, e.g., multilayers grown on (001) faces of cubic substrates [3] with a four-fold anisotropy owing to the magneto-crystalline anisotropies of the materials (for further references and a survey of their magnetic properties, see [8]). In these high symmetry systems, magnetic states are mainly determined under competing influence of bilinear and biquadratic exchange interactions and the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy. For this type of multilayers with a fully compensated antiferromagnetic collinear ground state, the magnetization processes generally have a simple character, in particular in the low anisotropy limit no reorientation transition occurs with fields in direction of easy axes [8]. (2) The other group of the synthetic antiferromagnets own an often sizeable uniaxial anisotropy. This group includes superlattices with intrinsic or induced in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, e.g. multilayers on (110) and (211) faces of cubic substrates [2,4], or nanostructures with perpendicular anisotropy [5]. Here, an interplay between the uniaxial anisotropy and the confining geometry of the multilayers determines their magnetic properties and gives rise to effects such as surface spin-flops [2, 4], field induced cascades of magnetization jumps [5,11] and multidomain structures [6,8].Theoretical investigations of such systems have a long history [12] and a large number of results on the magnetic states (mostly within simplified models and by numerical methods) have been obtained [12,13,14]. However, these findings were often restricted to specific values of magnetic parameters and led to conflicting conclusio...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reorientation in antiferromagnetic multilayers: Spin‐flop transition and surface effects

Rößler

Bogdanov

2004

phys. stat. sol. (c)

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“…In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and ex situ x-ray diffraction and reflection showed the single-crystalline structure of the samples with interface roughness of about 1 monolayer. The magnetization measurements show inplane fourfold anisotropy [15]. Here we concentrate only on the results obtained for the sample Cr9…”

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confidence: 99%

Transverse and Lateral Structure of the Spin-Flop Phase inFe/CrAntiferromagnetic Superlattices

et al. 2002

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Direct evidence of the nonuniformly canted state of the spin-flop phase induced by a magnetic field applied to Fe/Cr(100) superlattices is obtained by polarized neutron reflectometry. It is unambiguously demonstrated that the magnetization of the alternating Fe layers is twisted through the multilayer stack proving a stable noncollinear configuration. The maximal tilt at the end layers progressively reduces towards the center of the multilayer. The set of tilt angles is deduced from a model-free data evaluation employing the supermatrix routine. Spin-flip off-specular scattering is determined by the in-plane magnetization fluctuations and is fitted by a theoretical model of domains.

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“…J i andJ i are constants of bilinear and biquadratic exchange interactions, respectively; K i are constants of the in-plane four-fold anisotropy. The functional (1) generalizes similar models considered earlier in a number of studies on exchange [15,16,21,24] and anisotropy [9,15,22,29] effects in planar antiferromagnetic systems. Within this approach the ferromagnetic layers are considered as homogeneously magnetized blocks with constant values of the magnetic interactions.…”

Section: The Micromagnetic Energymentioning

confidence: 73%

“…in Fe/Cr(001) superlattices, [17] and specific reorientation effects imposed by four-fold planar (tetragonal) anisotropy. [15] The understanding and interpretation of the complex magnetization processes found in such systems [18,19,20] requires a theoretical underpinning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic phases and reorientation transitions in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers

Rößler

Bogdanov

2004

Phys. Rev. B

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In antiferromagnetically coupled superlattices grown on (001) faces of cubic substrates, e.g. based on materials combinations as Co/Cu, Fe/Si, Co/Cr, or Fe/Cr, the magnetic states evolve under competing influence of bilinear and biquadratic exchange interactions, surface-enhanced four-fold in-plane anisotropy, and specific finite-size effects. Using phenomenological (micromagnetic) theory, a comprehensive survey of the magnetic states and reorientation transitions has been carried out for multilayer systems with even number of ferromagnetic sub-layers and magnetizations in the plane. In two-layer systems (N = 2) the phase diagrams in dependence on components of the applied field in the plane include "swallow-tail" type regions of (metastable) multistate co-existence and a number of continuous and discontinuous reorientation transitions induced by radial and transversal components of the applied field. In multilayers (N ≥ 4) noncollinear states are spatially inhomogeneous with magnetization varying across the multilayer stack. For weak four-fold anisotropy the magnetic states under influence of an applied field evolve by a complex continuous reorientation into the saturated state. At higher anisotropy they transform into various inhomogeneous and asymmetric structures. The discontinuous transitions between the magnetic states in these two-layers and multilayers are characterized by broad ranges of multi-phase coexistence of the (metastable) states and give rise to specific transitional domain structures.

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In-plane magnetisation anisotropy of FeCr superlattices with biquadratic exchange coupling

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

Reorientation in antiferromagnetic multilayers: Spin‐flop transition and surface effects

Reorientation in antiferromagnetic multilayers: Spin‐flop transition and surface effects

Transverse and Lateral Structure of the Spin-Flop Phase inFe/CrAntiferromagnetic Superlattices

Magnetic phases and reorientation transitions in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers

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