Abstract
The magnetisation reversal of the free layer of two different spin-valve (SV) films with crossed anisotropy was studied using Lorentz microscopy in a modified transmission electron microscope. Both SVs were of similar construction, the principal difference being the replacement of Co by CoFe in the layers surrounding the non-magnetic spacer. Marked differences in the reversal mode were apparent. For CoFe SVs reversal was usually by rotation and experimental results were in good agreement with those predicted by a modified Stoner–Wohlfarth model. By contrast, reversal in Co SVs tended to involve complex domain processes with a high degree of irreversibility. The differences are attributed to the much higher magnetostriction constant of Co which gives rise to substantial local property variation.
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