A study of the NiFe/NiMn exchange couple

The effects of deposition order on the magnetic properties of the NiFe/NiMn exchange couple were studied. The use of a thin underlayer, to enhance these properties, was also investigated for the deposition order NiMn/NiFe. We found that the use of such an underlayer was essential for the exchange field to be greater than the coercivity. We observed that the underlayer film thickness did not have a dramatic effect on the final exchange field obtained. X-ray diffraction studies did not reveal a strong correlation between film texture and exchange fields. The blocking temperature was also measured for the deposition order NiFe/NiMn.