Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of the Gadolinium Nanolayer in a Thermo-Sensitive Spin Valve

Abstract

Spin-valve nanostructures with an exchange-coupled Gd/CoFe pair (synthetic ferrimagnet) as the free layer were prepared by magnetron sputtering. It was shown that when a fixed magnetic field is applied and the temperature near the compensation temperature of the synthetic ferrimagnet is varied, the spin valve switches between magnetic states, which are characterized by maximum and minimum resistance. The dependence of the compensation temperature on the Gd layer thickness is studied, which is interpreted based on the results of investigations of the microstructure of the Gd layer, taking into account peculiarities of its magnetic structure.