Magnetic coupling at rare earth ferromagnet/transition metal ferromagnet interfaces: A comprehensive study of Gd/Ni.
Magnetic coupling at rare earth ferromagnet/transition metal ferromagnet interfaces: A comprehensive study of Gd/Ni.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep30092
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发表时间：
2016-07-22
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Robinson JW
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Higgs TD;Bonetti S;Ohldag H;Banerjee N;Wang XL;Rosenberg AJ;Cai Z;Zhao JH;Moler KA;Robinson JW
具有竞争界面耦合和塞曼能量的薄膜磁性异质结构为研究不同平衡态之间的相变作为外磁场和温度的函数提供了肥沃的土壤。稀土（RE）/过渡金属（TM）铁磁多层膜是一个典型的例子，其中磁性状态由塞曼能和反铁磁界面交换耦合能之间的竞争决定。从技术上讲，这种结构提供了通过调整层之间的微观相互作用来设计宏观磁响应的可能性。我们已经进行了详尽的研究，镍/钆作为模型系统的理解RE/TM多层膜使用特定元素的测量技术X射线磁性圆二色性，并确定了全磁状态图作为温度和磁性层厚度的函数。我们比较我们的结果修改后的Stoner-Wohlfarth为基础的模型，并提供证据的厚度依赖性过渡到磁扇状态，这是理解RE/TM系统中的磁阻效应的关键。这些结果为自旋电子学和超导自旋电子学提供了重要的见解，其中工程可调磁不均匀性是某些应用的关键。
Thin film magnetic heterostructures with competing interfacial coupling and Zeeman energy provide a fertile ground to study phase transition between different equilibrium states as a function of external magnetic field and temperature. A rare-earth (RE)/transition metal (TM) ferromagnetic multilayer is a classic example where the magnetic state is determined by a competition between the Zeeman energy and antiferromagnetic interfacial exchange coupling energy. Technologically, such structures offer the possibility to engineer the macroscopic magnetic response by tuning the microscopic interactions between the layers. We have performed an exhaustive study of nickel/gadolinium as a model system for understanding RE/TM multilayers using the element-specific measurement technique x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, and determined the full magnetic state diagrams as a function of temperature and magnetic layer thickness. We compare our results to a modified Stoner-Wohlfarth-based model and provide evidence of a thickness-dependent transition to a magnetic fan state which is critical in understanding magnetoresistance effects in RE/TM systems. The results provide important insight for spintronics and superconducting spintronics where engineering tunable magnetic inhomogeneity is key for certain applications.