Magnetization Reversal in Ferromagnetic Films Patterned with Antiferromagnetic Gratings of Various Sizes

The magnetic switching behavior in continuous NiFe films patterned with IrMn gratings is investigated experimentally and with micromagnetic simulations. The samples made by a two-step deposition process consist of a 10-nm-thick NiFe layer on which is placed 10-nm-thick IrMn stripes with width from 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liu, Frank, Ross, Caroline A.
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/99982
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2262-1249
Description
Summary:The magnetic switching behavior in continuous NiFe films patterned with IrMn gratings is investigated experimentally and with micromagnetic simulations. The samples made by a two-step deposition process consist of a 10-nm-thick NiFe layer on which is placed 10-nm-thick IrMn stripes with width from 100 to 500 nm and period from 240 nm to 1  μm. Exchange bias is introduced by field cooling in directions parallel or perpendicular to the IrMn stripes. The samples display a two-step hysteresis loop for higher stripe width and period, as the pinned and unpinned regions of the NiFe reverse independently but a one-step loop for lower stripe periods. The transition between these regimes is reproduced by micromagnetic modeling.