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Interlayer Exchange Coupling in Single Crystal Magnetic Tunnel Junctions Studied by Electron Holography

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Abstract

Ion irradiation has been performed on epitaxial Fe/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions exhibiting antiferromagnetic exchange coupling. Electron holography and VSM experiments show that the amplitude and the nature of the coupling are modified by the irradiation. We demonstrate that the roughness induced by the irradiation at the Fe/MgO interfaces destroys the AF coupling. The biquadratic coupling experimentally observed in the irradiated samples is the result of the competition between local antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic coupling. For the largest irradiation doses, the net coupling becomes ferromagnetic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEMES, CNRS, 29 rue J. Marvig, 31400, Toulouse, France

    Etienne Snoeck, Gerard Benassayag & Pierre Baules

  2. Laboratoire de Physique des Matériaux, CNRS - Université de Nancy, Bd. des Aiguillettes, 54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France

    Coriolan Tiusan & Fanny Greullet

  3. SPINTEC, CEA - CNRS, Av. des Martyrs, 38054, Grenoble, France

    Alain Schuhl

Authors
  1. Etienne Snoeck
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  2. Coriolan Tiusan
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  3. Fanny Greullet
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  4. Gerard Benassayag
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  5. Pierre Baules
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  6. Alain Schuhl
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Snoeck, E., Tiusan, C., Greullet, F. et al. Interlayer Exchange Coupling in Single Crystal Magnetic Tunnel Junctions Studied by Electron Holography. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1026, 2205 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1026-C22-05

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1026-C22-05

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