MAGNETIZATION REVERSAL PROCESSES IN CO-RE ANTIFERROMAGNETICALLY COUPLED MULTILAYERS - A MAGNETOOPTIC AND MONTE-CARLO STUDY

A study of magnetization reversal processes in sputtered antiferromagn etically coupled (CotCoRe5 angstrom) X n multilayers, with n = 2,3,5 i s reported. The two components of the magnetization, parallel and perp endicular to the applied field are analyzed using a suitable transvers e Kerr effect differential magneto-optical setup. At the remanent stat e, and for n = 3, and 5, we obtain a magnetization of 1/3 and 1/5 of t he saturation magnetization, respectively. This means that the magneti zation in each layer is aligned parallel or antiparallel to the applie d field direction. The observed perpendicular magnetization component is as expected, much smaller than the parallel magnetization component over the entire length of the hysteresis cycle. A Monte Carlo simulat ion was used to study the spin configurations in the individual layers as well as the type of magnetization hysteresis cycles. We find that the introduction of a small uniaxial anisotropy is needed to explain t he observed multiloop structure in the n = 3 multilayers. Within our m odel, spin-canting may occur within the ferromagnetic layers leading t o particular remanent-state spin configurations.