Primitive exchange coupling in CoPt/MnN layered structures: Exchange coupling established during deposition

• Published in: Journal of magnetism and magnetic materials Vol. 538; p. 168331
• Main Authors: Li, Wenchang, Harumoto, Takashi, Nakamura, Yoshio, Shi, Ji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.11.2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Antiferromagnetism; Cobalt base alloys; Cobalt compounds; Coercivity; Constituting-layer-thickness; Coupling; Exchanging; Ferromagnetic materials; Intermetallic compounds; Iron constituents; Magnetron sputtering; Platinum compounds; Primitive exchange coupling; Rapid prototyping; Thickness; Trilayer film; Constituting-layer-thickness; Trilayer film; Primitive exchange coupling; Coercivity
• ISSN: 0304-8853; 1873-4766
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmmm.2021.168331

•Primitive exchange coupling in CoPt/MnN established without field cooling.•Exchange bias and coercivity dependence on constituting layer thickness.•Interfacial spin configuration formed during MnN deposited on magnetized CoPt. Bilayer and trilayer films with ferromagnetic CoPt and antiferromagnetic MnN constituent layers have been prepared by facing-target magnetron sputtering with a 6 Oe magnetic field applied to an in-plane direction of the growing film. Primitive exchange coupling, which signifies the exchange coupling occurred without conventional field cooling, has been investigated systematically by varying the component layer thickness. It has been shown that the interfacial spin configuration that initiates exchange coupling can be established at the interface when the MnN layer grows on the surface of the CoPt layer under a small field. The primitive exchange coupling shows an increasing tendency with increasing the MnN layer thickness, and a decreasing tendency with increasing the coupled CoPt layer thickness. And the coercivity of the coupled CoPt layer remain almost unchanged within the whole thickness range of both MnN and CoPt, which suggests the coercivity of the coupled CoPt layer is not only affected by exchange coupling.