Spin disorder dependence of the exchange bias effect

Abstract

The exchange bias (EB) effect has been investigated systematically by Monte Carlo simulations for systems with a ferromagnetic layer exchange coupled to bond-diluted antiferromagnetic pinning layers. With increasing bond dilution, the spin frustration in the pinning layers increases, a transition from an antiferromagnetic domain state to a spin glass is experienced, and the EB field increases. It is found that the EB field grows exponentially, with the Hamming distance being a measure of the degree of quenched interfacial spin disorder, which is the key ingredient of the EB effect.