RIS ID

93931

Publication Details

Cortie, D. L., Biternas, A. G., Chantrell, R. W., Wang, X. L. & Klose, F. (2014). Microscopic model for exchange bias from grain-boundary disorder in a ferromagnet/antiferromagnet thin film with a nanocrystalline microstructure. Applied Physics Letters, 105 (3), 032402-1-032402-5.

Abstract

Monte Carlo spin simulations were coupled to a Voronoi microstructure-generator to predict the magnitude and behavior of exchange bias in a ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (AF) thin film bilayer with a nanocrystalline microstructure. Our model accounts for the effects of irregular grain-shapes, finite-sized particles, and the possible presence of local random-fields originating from the antiferromagnet's grain-boundary regions. As the grain-boundary represents a crystal-structure distortion, we model the local effect on the exchange constants in the Gaussian approximation which can cause regions resembling a spin glass confined to an unusual 2D topology. Although an ensemble of completely disconnected AF grains isolated by non-magnetic barriers provides a small exchange bias, the introduction of a spin-glass network at the boundaries causes a four-fold enhancement in the magnitude of the loop-shift. This implies the importance of local grain-boundary behavior in defect-engineered antiferromagnets.

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4890580