Barker, C.E.A orcid.org/0000-0001-7266-3223, Fallon, K. orcid.org/0009-0003-8176-3615, Barton, C. orcid.org/0000-0003-4366-5726 et al. (12 more authors) (Cover date: 1 April 2024) Phase coexistence and transitions between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states in a synthetic antiferromagnet. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 109 (13). 134437. ISSN 2469-9950
Abstract
In synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs), antiferromagnetic (AFM) order and synthesis using conventional sputtering techniques is combined to produce systems that are advantageous for spintronics applications. Here we present the preparation and study of SAF multilayers possessing both perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The multilayers have an antiferromagnetically aligned ground state but can be forced into a full ferromagnetic (FM) alignment by applying an out-of-plane field ∼100mT. We study the spin textures in these multilayers in their ground state as well as around the transition point between the AFM and FM states at fields ∼40 mT by imaging the spin textures using complementary methods: photoemission electron, magnetic force, and Lorentz transmission electron microscopies. The transformation into a FM state by field proceeds by a nucleation and growth process, where skyrmionic nuclei form and then broaden into regions containing a ferromagnetically aligned labyrinth pattern that eventually occupies the whole film. Remarkably, this process occurs without any significant change in the net magnetic moment of the multilayer. The mix of antiferromagnetically and ferromagnetically aligned regions on the micron scale in the middle of this transition is reminiscent of a first-order phase transition that exhibits phase coexistence. These results are important for guiding the design of spintronic devices whose operation is based on spin textures in perpendicularly magnetized SAFs.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This item is protected by copyright. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Condensed Matter (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/T006803/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2024 10:24 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jan 2025 14:52 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Physical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.134437 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:210639 |