MICROMAGNETICS OF MAGNETIZATION SWITCHING IN NANOSTRUCTURED MULTILAYER

Spin valve strips of NiFe/Co/Cu/Co with various pattern widths of sub- mu m order were fabricated with a lithographic technique to study the size effect of the magnetization reversal. The longitudinal reversal p rocess along the strip was examined in external fields ranging from 20 to 60 Oe, indicating that the reverse held increases with a decrease of pattern width. Micromagnetic simulations demonstrated that the long itudinal reversal at relatively low field can be associated with later al expansion of the nucleated micro-domain. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.