Effects of CrMo spacer layer on thermal stability and magnetic properties in an antiferromagnetically coupled medium

Abstract

In this work, magnetic properties and thermal stability of antiferromagnetically coupled AFC medium with a CrMo spacer layer instead of the conventional Ru spacer layer were studied. It was found that a reduction of M-r/M-s could also be obtained in the AFC medium with a CrMo spacer layer due to the antiferromagnetic coupling, similar to the conventional AFC medium with a Ru spacer layer. Thermal stability ratio, KUV/k(B)T for the proposed medium was slightly smaller than that of the conventional AFC medium with a Ru spacer layer, but larger than that of a single magnetic layer medium. By a comparison of the switching field distribution and DeltaM of the AFC medium with those of the conventional AFC medium, it is conjectured that the intergranular exchange coupling decreases when a CrMo is used as a spacer layer. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.