Magnetic field direction dependent magnetization reversal in synthetic antiferromagnets

A perpendicularly magnetized synthetic antiferromagnetic structure is a promising alternative to a single ferromagnetic layer in spintronic applications because of its low net magnetization and high thermal stability. In general, the reversal sequences of the two ferromagnetic layers in the structur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2019-09, Vol.115 (13)
Main Authors: Chen, R. Y., Zhang, R. Q., Liao, L. Y., Chen, X. Z., Zhou, Y. J., Gu, Y. D., Saleem, M. S., Zhou, X. F., Pan, F., Song, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiferromagnetism
Applied physics
Cobalt
Electromagnetism
Ferromagnetism
Hall effect
Magnetic anisotropy
Magnetic fields
Magnetism
Magnetization reversal
Palladium
Spintronics
Switching sequences
Thermal stability
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Summary:A perpendicularly magnetized synthetic antiferromagnetic structure is a promising alternative to a single ferromagnetic layer in spintronic applications because of its low net magnetization and high thermal stability. In general, the reversal sequences of the two ferromagnetic layers in the structure are fixed for a specific sample since they have different magnetic anisotropy. Here, we investigate the anomalous Hall effect of the [Pd/Co]/Ru/[Co/Pd] synthetic antiferromagnetic structure. By rotating the external field from out-of-plane to in-plane, three different types of anomalous Hall effect curves can be observed, which shows obvious magnetic field direction dependent magnetization reversal behavior. The mechanism can be explained with the help of the Stoner-Wohlfarth model calculation, and the result indicates that the competition among Zeeman, anisotropy, and exchange coupling energies in the system is sensitive to the magnetic field direction, which changes the switching sequences. Besides the fundamental significance, our finding provides a different dimension to manipulate the performance of spintronics.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.5118928