Phase Coexistence and Transitions between Antiferromagnetic and Ferromagnetic States in a Synthetic Antiferromagnet

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2401.16273
• Publication Date: 2024-01-29
• Authors: Christopher E. A....; Kayla Fallon; Craig Barton; Eloi Haltz; Trevor P. Almeida; Sara Villa; Colin Kirkbride; Francesco Maccher...; Brice Sarpi; S. S. Dhesi; D. McGrouther; S. McVitie; T. A. Moore; Olga Kazakova; C. H. Marrows

In synthetic antiferromagnets (SAFs) the combination of antiferromagnetic order and synthesis using conventional sputtering techniques is combined to produce systems that are advantageous for spintronics applications. Here we present preparation study SAF multilayers possessing both perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction kind used as hosts chiral spin textures. The have an antiferromagnetically (AF) aligned ground state but can be forced into a full ferromagnetic (FM) alignment by applying out-of-plane field $\sim 100$~mT. We textures in these their well around transition point between AF FM states, which begins applied fields 40$~mT, imaging complementary methods: photo-emission electron, force, Lorentz transmission electron microscopies. transformation proceeds nucleation growth process, where first skyrmionic nuclei form, broaden regions containing FM-aligned labyrinth pattern eventually fills whole film. This process occurs without any significant change net moment multilayer. mix AF- on micron scale middle this reminiscent first-order phase exhibits coexistence. These results important guiding design spintronic devices made from SAFs.