Layered magnetic structures: evidence for antiferromagnetic coupling of Fe layers across Cr interlayers

• Published in: Journal of applied physics 1987-04, Vol.61 (8), p.3750-3752
• Main Authors: GRÜNBERG, P, SCHREIBER, R, PANG, Y, WALZ, U, BRODSKY, M. B, SOWERS, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetic properties of surface, thin films and multilayers; Materials science; Metals, semimetals and alloys; Physics; Specific materials
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.338656

Double layers of (100)-oriented Fe with an individual thickness of ≊100 Å, separated by interlayers of Cr or Au with variable thickness were grown epitaxially on Au (100) surfaces. The spin-wave mode spectra of these double layers as detected by means of light scattering were used to measure the effective exchange coupling of the Fe films across the interlayer. For Au interlayers it decreases monotonically with increasing Au thickness dAu and disappears at dAu≳20 Å. For Cr interlayers of proper thickness dCr, i.e., 4 Å≲dCr≲9 Å we obtain antiferromagnetic coupling of the Fe layers. In small external fields such double layers order antiparallel with their magnetization perpendicular to the external field in analogy to the spin-flop phase of antiferromagnets. This is revealed by the behavior of the static magnetization of such samples as a function of external field and the spectrum of spin-wave modes with the wave vector parallel to a small external field.