Characteristics of the magnetic ordering of Fe ∕ Au ∕ Tb multilayer films

Temperature and field investigations of the magnetic properties of multilayer films, consisting of a sequence of alternating magnetic layers of iron and the rare-earth terbium separated by layers of nonmagnetic gold, are performed. The samples were obtained by electron-beam deposition. The field dependence of the magnetic moment of a film with H ∥ n are analyzed to determine the characteristics of the uniaxial anisotropy. It is shown that a nonuniform uniaxial anisotropy results in nonlinearity in the magnetization of the film in H ∥ n . The process of magnetization of a film in H ⊥ n , when the transition to a single-domain state occurs only as a result of the motion of domain walls, is described. It is shown on the basis of the data on the field dependences of the magnetic moment at low temperatures that the magnetic moments of the Fe and Tb layers are oriented oppositely with respect to one another. A compensation point is observed in the temperature dependence of the magnetization; this indicates the presence of antiferromagnetic coupling between the Fe and Tb layers.