• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2003.05a
• /
• pp.55-58
• /
• 2003

FeMn based spin valves often consist of a NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer structure. We have investigated the evolution of exchange bias at the bottom and top interfaces in the NiFe(5nm)/FeMn(x)/NiFe(5nm) trilayer structure as a function of FeMn thickness in the range 3 nm to 30 nm. The XRD results indicate (111) textured growth for NiFe and FeMn layers. The magnetization studies using VSM show two hysteresis loops corresponding to the bottom NiFe seed layer and top NiFe layers with greater bias for the bottom NiFe layer, for FeMn thickness equal to and above 5 nm. The larger exchange bias for the bottom seed layer is confirmed by the surface sensitive MOKE hysteresis loop measurements which show gradual weakening of the MOKE hysteresis loop for the bottom NiFe layer with increasing FeMn thickness. The observed large exchange bias in a spin valve structure is usually attributed to the pinning NiFe layer on top of the FeMn layer, even when a NiFe seed layer of a few nm thickness is present, whereas, in reality it may be arising from the bottom seed layer, as shown by the present study.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.265-269
• /
• 2005

Exchange bias effect of a various layered thin films were studied by FMR measurment. In plane angular dependence of a resonance field distribution which measured by FMR was analysed as a combined effect of an unidirectional anisotropy and an uniaxial anisotropy. Exchange biased NiFe/IrMn, IrMn/NiFe/IrMn, and NiFe/IrMn/CoFe thin films showed larger unidirectional anisotropy field and uniaxial anisotropy field with compared to that of an unbiased NiFe single thin film. In case of NiFe/Cu/IrMn, the film with thick Cu layer exhibited a similar trend to the unbiased NiFe thin film. NiFe/IrMn/CoFe thin film showed two resonance field distribution due to different ferromagnetic layers. In additon to the resonance field, the line width was also analysed with related to exchange bias effect.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.293-297
• /
• 1993

Exchange coupled $NiFe/TbCo/Sio_{2}$ thin films for magnetoresistive heads were sputter deposited using RF diode sputtering method, and their magnetic characteristics were measured. TbCo films were deposited using a composite target, which is composed of Tb chips epoxied on a Co target. NiFe($400\AA$)/TbCo($1500\AA$)/$SiO_{2}$($500\AA$) films were deposited using a TbCo target having 30 % of Tb area ratio, which showed 25 Oe of the exchange field without substrate bias and 12 Oe with -55 V of substrate bias. The effective in-plane coercivities of the three layer films fabricated with less than -55 V of substrate bias were approximately proportional to the perpendicular coercivities of the TbCo layer only. The films fabricated with a Theo target of 28 % area ratio showed the same trend. However, the exchange field decreased to 4 Oe without the substrate bias and 7 Oe with -55 V of substrate bias. In the films fabricated with 1000 W of power and the target of 36 % area ratio exhibited 100 Oe of exchange field and 3 Oe of coercivity. As the thickness of NiFe layer increased, the exchange field decreased.

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.77-82
• /
• 2006

The structure and magnetic properties of Fe-Ni films, deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on Si(111) wafer, have been studied. The spin wave stiffness constant is determined by Brillouin light scattering (BLS) and compared with the value obtained from magnetization measurements. The range of exchange interaction was determined as 0.4 atomic distances in the film deposited in a bias magnetic field, which is 1/2 that in the film grown in no bias magnetic field. The results show that the dimensions of exchange coupling increased by the sputtering in the magnetic field.

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.36-39
• /
• 2005

We report element-resolved and interface-sensitive magnetization reversals investigated from an oppositely exchange-biased NiFe/FeMn/Co structure by employing soft x-ray resonant Kerr rotation measurements. We have found not only switchable uncompensated antiferromagnetic regions with its sizable thicknesses at both interfaces of the FeMn layer but also their strong coupling to the individual ferromagnetic layers. These experimental results provide a better insight into experimentally observed reductions in exchange-bias field on the basis of an interface-proximity model proposed in this work.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.13 no.7
• /
• pp.447-452
• /
• 2003

Effects of annealing and thickness of Co layer in Co/IrMn bilayers on the magnetic properties have been investigated. The highest interfacial exchange coupling energy($J_{K}$ = 0.12 erg/$\textrm{cm}^2$) was obtained for 10 nm Co layer thickness. Exchange bias field is inversely proportional to the magnetization, the thickness of the pinned layer, and the grain size of antiferromagnetic layer. Also it is related to the interfacial exchange energy difference, which is expected to depend on the surface roughness. These results almost agree with the random-field model of exchange anisotropy proposed by Malozemoff. Exchange bias field decreased slowly with increasing annealing temperature up to X$300^{\circ}C$. However, exchange bias field increased above $300^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2012

We investigate the exchange bias effect in $[Pd/Co]_5$ superlattice structures which are representative system of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We fabricate Si/$[Pd/Co]_5$/FeMn structures, and study the exchange bias variations by measuring hysteresis loop variations with thickness of FeMn layer. In order to optimize the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, we fix the thickness of Pd with 1.1 nm and investigate the dependence of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy on the ferromagnetic Co layer thickness. As results, we find that the biggest coercivity in 0.3 nm of Co layer without FeMn layer. The biggest exchange bias field is found for 0.3 nm of Co layer when we change the Co thickness with fixed FeMn thickness. When we vary thickness of FeMn layer, the biggest coercivity is found for 5 nm of FeMn layer. No exchange bias is observed when the FeMn layer is thinner than 3 nm, and the exchange bias field increases with FeMn layer thickness continuously up to 15 nm.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.212-212
• /
• 2003

Many of the spin valve multilayer structures with FeMn as antiferromagnetic layer consist of a NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer where the bottom NiFe layer is the seed layer to facilitate the growth of (111) gama-FeMn antiferromagnetic phase and the top NiFe layer forms the pinned layer[1], In this study, exchange bias of bottom NiFe layer has been investigated as functions of thicknesses of top and bottom NiFe in NiFe/FeMn/NiFe, prepared by rf magnetron sputtering, MH-loop was measured by vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). Two hysteresis loops are corresponded to bottom and top layers, similar to reported loops in spin valve structure. Exchange bias of bottom NiFe could be induced by the interfacial coupling between bottom NiFe and FeMn. But those coupling are strongly dependent on the top and bottom NiFe thicknesses, revealing anomalous character ul exchange bias of bottom NiFe layer.

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.159-163
• /
• 2016

Antiferromagnet (AFM)/ferromagnet (FM) bilayer structures are widely used in the magnetic devices of sensor and memory applications, as AFM materials can induce unidirectional anisotropy of the FM material via exchange coupling. The strength of the exchange coupling is known to be sensitive to quality of the interface of the AFM/FM bilayers. In this study, we utilize proton irradiation to modify the interface structures and investigate its effect on the magnetic properties of AFM/FM structures, including the exchange bias and magnetic thermoelectric effect. The magnetic properties of IrMn/CoFeB structures with various IrMn thicknesses are characterized after they are exposed to a proton beam of 3 MeV and $1{\sim}5{\times}10^{14}ions/cm^2$. We observe that the magnetic moment is gradually reduced as the amount of the dose is increased. On the other hand, the exchange bias field and thermoelectric voltage are not significantly affected by proton irradiation. This indicates that proton irradiation has more of an influence on the bulk property of the FM CoFeB layer and less of an effect on the IrMn/CoFeB interface.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.132-136
• /
• 2002

Enhancement of crystallinity and exchange bias characteristics for NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer with Si buffer layer fabricated by ion-beam deposition were examined. A Si buffer layer promoted (111) texture of fcc crystallities in the initial growth region of NiFe layer deposited on it. FeMn layers deposited on Si/NiFe bilayer exhibited excellent (111) crystal texture. The antiferromagnetic FeMn layer between top and bottom NiFe films with the buffer Si 50 ${\AA}$-thick induced a large exchange coupling field Hex with a different dependence. It was found that H$\sub$ex/ of the bottom and top NiFe films with Si buffer layer revealed large value of about 110 Oe and 300 Oe, respectively. In the comparison of two Ta and Si buffer layers, the NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer with Si could possess larger exchange coupling field and higher crystallinity.