Ferromagnetic Resonance Studies of NiO-coupled Thin Films of Ni80Fe20

Published

January 1, 1998

Author(s)

Robert McMichael, Mark D. Stiles, P J. Chen, William F. Egelhoff Jr.

Abstract

This paper describes ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetoresistive measurements of thin magnetic films coupled to antiferromagnetic films. First, FMR results for films of Ni₈₀Fe^d20 show that coupling to NiO produces the angular variation in the resonance field of the type expected for unidirectional exchange anisotropy. However, unidirectional anisotropy values measured by in-plane ferromagnetic resonance are roughly 20% less than the loop shift measured via magnetoresistance. The difference is attributed in part to asymmetry in coercivity. Second, in addition to the unidirectional anisotropy, coupling to NiO produces an isotropic negative resonance field shift which is larger than the exchange anisotropy field. This isotropic field shift is not consistent with models of exchange anisotropy in which the ferromagnetic spins couple to a static antiferromagnetic spin structure. It is consistent with the existence of a rotatable anisotropy, explained in terms of the energetics of domain configurations in the NiO. Third, using unpinned films as references, unidirectional anisotropy is measured for the first time with the magnetization rotated out of the film plane, and is found to be in reasonable agreement with in-plane measurements.

Citation

Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)

Volume

58

Issue

13

Pub Type

Journals

Citation

McMichael, R. , Stiles, M. , Chen, P. and Egelhoff Jr., W. (1998), Ferromagnetic Resonance Studies of NiO-coupled Thin Films of Ni₈₀Fe₂₀, Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics) (Accessed October 31, 2024)