Haoliang Liu

Rotatable anisotropy driven training effects in exchange biased Co/CoO films

The training effect for exchange bias in field-cooled Co/CoO bilayers films is investigated. Previous experiments on the same system have shown that, starting from the ascending branch of the first hysteresis loop, coherent magnetization rotation is the dominant reversal mechanism. This is confirmed by the performed numerical simulations, which also indicate that the training is predominantly caused by changes of the rotatable anisotropy parameters of uncompensated spins at the Co/CoO interface. Moreover, in contrast with what is commonly assumed, the exchange coupling between the rotatable spins and the ferromagnetic layer is stronger than the coupling between the ferromagnet and the spins responsible for the bias. Thus, uncompensated spins strongly coupled to the ferromagnet contribute to the coercivity rather than to the bias, whatever the strength of their magnetic anisotropy.

Lateral Magnetically Modulated Multilayers by Combining Ion Implantation and Lithography

The combination of lithography and ion implantation is demonstrated to be a suitable method to prepare lateral multilayers. A laterally, compositionally, and magnetically modulated microscale pattern consisting of alternating Co (1.6 µm wide) and Co-CoO (2.4 µm wide) lines has been obtained by oxygen ion implantation into a lithographically masked Au-sandwiched Co thin film. Magnetoresistance along the lines (i.e., current and applied magnetic field are parallel to the lines) reveals an effective positive giant magnetoresistance (GMR) behavior at room temperature. Conversely, anisotropic magnetoresistance and GMR contributions are distinguished at low temperature (i.e., 10 K) since the O-implanted areas become exchange coupled. This planar GMR is principally ascribed to the spatial modulation of coercivity in a spring-magnet-type configuration, which results in 180° Néel extrinsic domain walls at the Co/Co-CoO interfaces. The versatility, in terms of pattern size, morphology, and composition adjustment, of this method offers a unique route to fabricate planar systems for, among others, spintronic research and applications.