1 research outputs found
Finite size effects with variable range exchange coupling in thin-film Pd/Fe/Pd trilayers
The magnetic properties of thin-film Pd/Fe/Pd trilayers in which an embedded
~1.5 A-thick ultrathin layer of Fe induces ferromagnetism in the surrounding Pd
have been investigated. The thickness of the ferromagnetic trilayer is
controlled by varying the thickness of the top Pd layer over a range from 8 A
to 56 A. As the thickness of the top Pd layer decreases, or equivalently as the
embedded Fe layer moves closer to the top surface, the saturated magnetization
normalized to area and the Curie temperature decrease whereas the coercivity
increases. These thickness-dependent observations for proximity-polarized
thin-film Pd are qualitatively consistent with finite size effects that are
well known for regular thin-film ferromagnets. The critical exponent of
the order parameter (magnetization) is found to approach the mean field value
of 0.5 as the thickness of the top Pd layer increases. The functional forms for
the thickness dependences, which are strongly modified by the nonuniform
exchange interaction in the polarized Pd, provide important new insights to
understanding nanomagnetism in two-dimensions.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, submitted to JMM