Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuyama-Yoshida and Neel contributions to the interlayer coupling of MnIr-based spin valves: Influence of deposition rate, roughness and spacer thickness

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

teixeira, j. m. (Author) Other; ventura, j. (Author) REIT; fermento, r. (Author) Other; araujo, j. p. (Author) FCUP; sousa, j. b. (Author) FCUP; cardoso, s. (Author) Other; freitas, p. p. (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Applied Physics

Vol. 103

Final page: 07F319

ISSN: 0021-8979

Publisher: American Institute of Physics

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 12 Citations

Scopus - 12 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-0HX

DOI: 10.1063/1.2838141

Abstract (EN): We study the interlayer coupling field (H(coupl)) as a function of temperature (T) for two spin valve (SV) series of NiFe/CoFe/Cu(t)/CoFe/MnIr, with different deposition rates (DRs) of the layers and Cu thickness t ranging from 16 to 26 A. In series 1, the DRs were 0.49 A/s for Cu and 0.29 A/s for CoFe. In series 2, the DRs were lower: 0.28 A/s for Cu and 0.23 A/s for CoFe. The H(coupl)(T) dependence was obtained from magnetoresistance measurements (20-300 K) at low magnetic fields. By considering the T dependence of both Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuyama-Yoshida (RKKY)-like [(T/T(0))/sinh(T/T(0)), where T(0) is characteristic temperature] and Neel interactions, we were able to analyze the contribution of each to H(coupl) and study the influence of DR, roughness, and Cu t on T(0), RKKY-like, and Neel coupling energies. We found that the Neel contribution to H(coupl) is more significative in the SVs with the higher DR, an effect that we relate to the corresponding higher gamma observed experimentally by atomic force microscopy. On the other hand, the RKKY-like contribution is approximately constant with t for the higher DR-SVs but varies significatively for the SVs with the lower DR, showing an antiferromagnetic coupling at t=21 A. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 3