Interlayer coupling and enhanced coercivity in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic structures

Abstract

Magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance measurements provide evidence of ferromagnetic coupling between ferromagnetic (F) layers separated by an intervening layer of antiferromagnetic (AF) NiO of thickness, tAF, where 7 nm<tAF<13 nm. Near 300 K, due to this coupling, the coercivity Hc and M–H loop squareness in F/AF multilayers increases as one increases the number of layers. The increased Hc and squareness have potential application in thin film magnets.