Preisach analysis of epitaxial hard/soft bilayers

We used the moving Preisach model to study the magnetization-reversal process in epitaxial SmCo (1 1̄ 0 0)/Fe bilayers prepared by magnetron sputtering. The SmCo(20nm)/Fe(t nm) (t = 0,5,10,20) bilayers were grown onto single-crystal (1 1 0)MgO substrates with an epitaxial 20 nm Cr(2 1 1) buffer layer. The second-quadrant magnetization curves were strictly reversible up to a field H0, close to the field Hc at which the magnetization switched irreversibly. Henkel plots for these bilayers indicated very strong magnetizing interactions for all films. Magnetization reversal in these films reflects their epitaxial structure. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.