Abstract
The correlation between the microstructure of the antiferro-magnetic (AF) layer and the unidirectional anisotropy constant (Jk) measured at room temperature was investigated for Ni-Fe 500 A/Mn1-x(Ni-Fe)x 500 A (x = 0.2-0.5) bilayers. The bilayers were fabricated on the glass substrate with and without a 60-A-thick Ti buffer layer by the vacuum evaporation method. In the bilayers fabricated directly on the glass substrate, the grain size of the AF layer was about 120 A and Jk was about 0.02 erg/cm2 in the as-deposited state, when x = 0.2-0.3. On the other hand, when the Ti bufffer layer was used, the grain size of the AF layer was enlarged to 200 A, and Jk was enhanced to 0.06 erg/cm2. After annealing at 280°C, the Jk value of the bilayer using the Ti buffer layer reached 0.18 erg/cm2, which is 1.5 times larger than without the Ti buffer layer. We concluded that enlargement of the AF grain is one of key factors for enhancing the exchange anisotropy of a ferromagnetic/AF bilayer.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
