Exchange bias at low fields exhibited by the interface between epitaxial layers of ferromagnetic and charge-ordered rare-earth manganites

Abstract

Epitaxial thin films of ferromagnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and charge-ordered, antiferromagnetic Y0.5Ca0.5MnO3 (YCMO) were deposited on SrTiO3 (100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The heterostructure undergoes tetragonal distortion due to strong biaxial tensile strain imposed by the substrate. The LSMO-YCMO bilayers exhibit significant exchange bias (EB) across the interface even in a very small remnant magnetic field (similar to 5 Oe) present in the superconductor magnet. The unidirectional exchange anisotropy at the interface can be switched by reversing the polarity of the remnant magnetic field. [GRAPHICS] Significant asymmetry in the M(H) loop is exhibited by the heterostructure interface under cooling in the presence of small remnant magnetic field (H-r similar to 5 Oe). (C) 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim