Micromagnetic Approach to Exchange Bias

J. Dubowika and I. Gościańska b aInstitute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Smoluchowskiego 17, PL-60-179, Poznań, Poland bFaculty of Physics, A. Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 85, PL-61-614, Poznań, Poland

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We present a micromagnetic approach to the exchange bias in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic thin film systems with a small number of irreversible interfacial magnetic moments. We express the exchange bias field HEB in terms of the fundamental micromagnetic length scale of ferromagnetic - the exchange length lex. The benefit from this approach is a better separation of the factor related to the ferromagnetic layer from the factor related to the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic coupling at interfaces. Using this approach we estimate the upper limit of HEB in real ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic systems.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.127.147 PACS numbers: 75.30.Gw, 75.30.Et, 75.60.Jk