www.iop.org home page electronic journals * Quick guide * Site map Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics Login: Password: Create account | Alerts | Contact us Journals Home | Journals List | EJs Extra | This Journal | Search | Authors | Referees | Librarians | User Options | Help | < Previous article | Next article * | This volume ^^ | This issue ^ | Article options & Content finder <#article_options> * R L Stamps 2000 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 33 R247-R268 TOPICAL REVIEW Mechanisms for exchange bias R L Stamps Department of Physics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands WA 6907, Australia E-mail: stamps@physics.uwa.edu.au Received 6 October 2000 Print publication: Issue 23 (7 December 2000) Abstract. Modern applications for thin film magnets involve unique requirements for the control and design of specific magnetic properties. The exchange bias effect in ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayers appears to be a useful feature for controlling one of the most important characteristics of a ferromagnet: coercivity. Prospects for control and enhancement of desirable effects depend upon a clear understanding of mechanisms governing exchange bias. The processes underlying the existence and properties of exchange bias are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the roles of interface structure and temperature. Results from numerical simulations are used to illustrate how exchange bias is modified by geometric structures at the interface and randomly placed defects. A general theoretical formulation of the bias problem is proposed, and an expression for the interface energy is derived. A key result is the existence of higher-order coupling terms when more than one sublattice of the antiferromagnet is present at the interface. Results from calculations of finite temperature effects on bias and coercivity are described, and the concept of viscosity in the antiferromagnet is discussed. A brief discussion is also included of how a dynamic linear response, such as ferromagnetic resonance or light scattering, can be used to determine relevant anisotropy and exchange parameters. An erratum for this article has been published in 2001 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 34 444 doi:10.1088/0022-3727/33/23/201 URL: http://stacks.iop.org/0022-3727/33/R247 PII: S0022-3727(00)09438-9 * PDF (337 KB) | * Gzipped PS (343 KB) * References * Articles citing this article Full text * PDF (337 KB) | * Gzipped PS (343 KB) * References * Articles citing this article Article options * E-mail abstract * Download to citation manager * Link to this article * Information about Filing Cabinet Find related articles By author IOP CrossRef Search * Search highlighted text <#> Help Recommend * Recommend this article * Recommend this journal Authors & Referees * Submit an article * Track your article * Referees Reasons to login * Set up an E-mail alert * Use your Filing Cabinet * Login IOP Content Browser Button search results clustering STACKS Link to IOP journals < Previous article | Next article * | This volume ^^ | This issue ^ Content finder Full Search Help Author: Vol/Year: Issue/Month: Page/Article No: Journals Home | Journals List | EJs Extra | This Journal | Search | Authors | Referees | Librarians | User Options | Help | Recommend this journal Setup information is available for Adobe Acrobat and Gzip compressed PostScript . EndNote, ProCite Ž and Reference Manager Ž are registered trademarks of ISI Researchsoft. Copyright Š Institute of Physics and IOP Publishing Limited 2005. Use of this service is subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of use. In particular, reselling and systematic downloading of files is prohibited. Help: Cookies | Data Protection .