Magnetic domain wall coercivity and aftereffect in antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic bilayers

Abstract

Exchange bias and coercivity are investigated in antiferromagnetic (AFM)/ferromagnetic (FM) bilayers by steepest descent and Monte Carlo simulations. For a given range of the AFM anisotropy, a magnetic domain wall parallel to the interface is created in the AFM layer. This domain wall propagates along the AFM thickness and eventually gets pinned at the negative saturation due to the intrinsic Peierls potential of the AFM material. We demonstrate that this pinning and its associated dissipation is one possible source of coercivity in such exchange coupled bilayers. Monte Carlo simulations were also carried out to investigate the influence of thermal fluctuations, which induce a random walk of the domain wall throughout the AFM layer, leading to magnetic aftereffect. Depending on the experimental characteristic measurement time and temperature, the domain wall can eventually be expelled from the AFM layer leading to the reversal of the entire AFM spin lattice. This contribution to the exchange bias phenomenon particularly explains quite well the enhancement of coercivity in exchange coupled bilayers at low temperature, even in polycrystalline samples.