A series of Co/Pd multilayers were made by dc magnetron sputter deposition on Al foil substrates. For these multilayered samples, Co layer thicknesses were less than 4 A and Pd layers were varied from 4 to 22 A. Sputtering rates were controlled by either sputtering power (10-50 W) or Ar sputtering pressure (3-15 mTorr). In both cases, lower deposition rates yielded higher perpendicular coercivi...

The exchange bias effect in a compensated IrMn3/Co(111) system is studied using multiscale modeling from ab initio to atomistic spin model calculations. We evaluate numerically the out-of-plane hysteresis loops of the bilayer for different thicknesses of the ferromagnetic layer. The results show the existence of a perpendicular exchange bias and an enhancement of the coercivity of the system. T...

Perpendicular barium ferrite ~BaM! films with Pt interlayers were successfully fabricated. The magnetic and structural properties of BaM films were compared with BaM films without Pt interlayers. It was found that perpendicular c-axis orientation was greatly improved for films with Pt interlayers. Perpendicular remanent squareness is increased, and the c-axis dispersion angle Du50 is decreased ...

This paper outlines an energy-minimization finite-element approach to the computational modeling of equilibrium configurations for nematic liquid crystals under free elastic effects. The method targets minimization of the system free energy based on the Frank-Oseen free-energy model. Solutions to the intermediate discretized free elastic linearizations are shown to exist generally and are uniqu...

Perpendicular exchange-biased and multilayers have been fabricated, changing the thickness of the cobalt that is next to the IrMn layer. The crystal structure, interface roughness and magnetic properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and extraordinary Hall Effect (EHE). The multilayers are flat, and the roughness is about ...

The micromagnetic properties of multilayered MnBi/Al films have been investigated and compared to pure MnBi thin films. Pure MnBi films reveal an anomalous increase of the high temperature coercivity, which has been explained on the basis of a hybrid domain wall pinning model. The multilayer-type preparation of MnBi/Al thin films results in significantly reduced MnBi particle size of approximat...

The structural and magnetic properties of Pr-alloyed MnBi (short MnBi-Pr) nanostructures with a range of Pr concentrations are investigated. The nanostructures include thin films having Pr concentrations 0, 2, 3, 5, and 9 at.% and melt-spun ribbons having Pr concentrations 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6%, respectively. Addition of Pr into the MnBi lattice has produced a significant change in the magnetic pr...