Long-range magnetic interactions and proximity effects in an amorphous exchange-spring magnet.
Low-dimensional magnetic heterostructures are a key element of spintronics, where magnetic interactions between different materials often define the functionality of devices. Although some interlayer exchange coupling mechanisms are by now well established, the possibility of direct exchange coupling via proximity-induced magnetization through non-magnetic layers is typically ignored due to the presumed short range of such proximity effects. Here we show that magnetic order can be induced throughout a 40-nm-thick amorphous paramagnetic layer through proximity to ferromagnets, mediating both exchange-spring magnet behaviour and exchange bias. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations show that nearest-neighbour magnetic interactions fall short in describing the observed effects and long-range magnetic interactions are needed to capture the extent of the induced magnetization. The results highlight the importance of considering the range of interactions in low-dimensional heterostructures and how magnetic proximity effects can be used to obtain new functionality.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden.|Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, Reykjavik IS-107, Iceland.
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Magnus
Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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Brooks-Bartlett
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden.|LPMMAT, Université Hassan II de Casablanca, Faculté des Sciences Ain Chock, Maârif B.P. 5366, Morocco.
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Moubah
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
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Procter
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden.
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0000-0002-9479-1952
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Andersson
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
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Hase
Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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Banks
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden.
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Hjörvarsson