Abstract
A series of NiO/NiFe bilayer films are deposited with the variation of Ar sputtering pressure for the NiO layers only. As the pressure for the NiO layers increases, the exchange anisotropy field (HEX) decreases gradually and becomes extinct at 2.5 mTorr, at which the maximum coercive force (HC) in the NiO/NiFe films is obtained. Randomly oriented columnar structures with HEX a few tens of Oe and oriented columnar structures with zero HEX are observed in the NiP layers by highvoltage hihg-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The vanishing of the HEX in the oriented structures is attributed to the lack of exchange anisotropy energy (EEX) between NiO and NiFe layers, which results in little contribution of interfacial unidirectional pinning anisotropy to the interface of NiO/NiFe bilayer.