A STUDY OF THE NIFE NIMN EXCHANGE COUPLE

The effects of deposition order on the magnetic properties of the NiFe / NiMn exchange couple were studied. The use of a thin underlayer, to enhance these properties, was also investigated for the deposition or der NiMn / NiFe. We found that the use of such an underlayer was essen tial for the exchange field to be greater than the coercivity. We obse rved that the underlayer film thickness did not have a dramatic effect on the final exchange field obtained. X-ray diffraction studies did n ot reveal a strong correlation between film texture and exchange field s. The blocking temperature was also measured for the deposition order NiFe / NiMn.