Zelek S. Herman, Robert F. Kirchner, et al.
Inorganic Chemistry
We report an asymmetry of magnetic disorder in exchange-biased IrMn(t IrMn=5-20 nm)/CoFe(50 nm) films observed by means of a Kerr microscope, capable of direct domain observation. From the correlation between the magnetization half-reversal time and applied magnetic field, we find that the magnetization switching in all the films occurs via a thermally activated reversal mechanism for both branches of hysteresis loops. Surprisingly, in the forward branch reversal where the applied magnetic field is antiparallel to the direction of exchange-bias field, degree of magnetic disorder decreases as exchange-bias field increases, which is definitely contrasted with the case of backward branch reversal. This result is likely ascribed to the fact that the local values of exchange-bias field and coercive field are oppositely fluctuating with each other in the film. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Zelek S. Herman, Robert F. Kirchner, et al.
Inorganic Chemistry
G. Will, N. Masciocchi, et al.
Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie - New Crystal Structures
A. Gangulee, F.M. D'Heurle
Thin Solid Films
S. Cohen, J.C. Liu, et al.
MRS Spring Meeting 1999