Enhanced exchange bias fields for CoO/Co bilayers: influence of antiferromagnetic grains and mechanisms

The emergence and optimization of devices that can be applied to spintronics have attracted considerable interest, and both experimental and theoretical approaches have been used in studies of exchange bias phenomena. A survey of the literature indicates that great efforts have been devoted to improving exchange bias fields, while only limited attempts have been made to controll the temperature dependence of exchange bias. In this study, the influence of antiferromagnetic grains on exchange bias phenomena in CoO/Co bilayers on a semiconductor surface was investigated. Based on an antiferromagnetic grain model, a correlation between grain size, grain density, blocking temperature, and the exchange bias field was established. For crystallites with a smaller median diameter, the dependence of the thickness of the CoO layer on blocking temperature showed a less pronounced variation. This is due to the larger thermal agitation of the atomic spin moments in the grain, which causes a weaker exchange coupling between atomic spin moments. The enhanced density of antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic pinning sites resulting from an increased grain density is responsible for the enhancement in the exchange bias fields. The results reported herein provide insights into our knowledge related to controlling the temperature dependence of exchange bias and related mechanisms.