Diamagnetic coupling for magnetic tuning in nano-thin films

Abstract

Combining nanoscale thin films of magnetic and non-magnetic phases in various hetero-structures has generated a rich variety of new magnetic and magneto-transport phenomena and applications. Here, we propose a coupling between ferromagnetic and diamagnetic layers. We used this diamagnetic coupling to improve the exchange bias field of a diamagnet/ferromagnet/anti-ferromagnet hetero-structure by up to 212%, as evidenced in the experiments presented here. Since diamagnets have very special properties, including temperature independent negative magnetic susceptibilities, this coupling could be a powerful tool in future synthesis of solid state nanostructures such as exchange bias systems, spintronic devices, magnetic random access memories, sensors, and multiferroics.