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Exchange Coupling in Magnetic Multilayers

Published

Author(s)

Mark D. Stiles

Abstract

In magnetic multilayers, the magnetizations of two ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic spacer layer are coupled by the electrons in the spacer layer. This coupling oscillates in sign as a function of the thickness of the spacer layer. Extensive research done on these systems has led to a simple model for this coupling and remarkable agreement between predictions of the model and measurements of the coupling. The model predicts that the periods of the coupling are determined by geometrical properties of the Fermi surface belonging to the spacer layer material. The oscillatory coupling is an instance of oscillations in metals caused by the existence of a Fermi surface.
Citation
Nanomagnetism: Ultrathin Films, Multilayers and Nanostructures (Contemporary Concepts of Condensed Matter Science, Vol 1
Issue
3
Publisher Info
Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, NL

Keywords

biquadratic coupling, critical spanning vector, exchange coupling, Fermi surface, interface electronic structure, magnetic multilayers, quantum well, spin-dependent reflection

Citation

Stiles, M. (2006), Exchange Coupling in Magnetic Multilayers, Nanomagnetism: Ultrathin Films, Multilayers and Nanostructures (Contemporary Concepts of Condensed Matter Science, Vol 1, Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, NL, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=620567 (Accessed October 31, 2024)

Issues

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Created May 1, 2006, Updated February 19, 2017