90° Magnetization Switching in Thin Fe Films Grown on Stepped Cr(001)

Abstract

The ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfacial interaction was investigated in thin Fe films grown on stepped Cr(001) with the steps parallel to the [100] direction. Above the N\'eel temperature of the Cr, the atomic steps induce a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the easy axis parallel to the step edges. Below the N\'eel temperature, the Fe-Cr interfacial interaction favors the Fe magnetization perpendicular to the step edges. The competition between the Fe-Cr interaction and the step-induced magnetic anisotropy results in an in-plane 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} magnetization switching from perpendicular to the step edges at low step-density to parallel to the step edges at high step density.