In search of antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling in diluted magnetic thin films with RKKY interaction

Abstract

We study a model thin film containing diluted bilayer structure with the RKKY long-range interaction. The magnetic subsystem is composed of two magnetically doped layers, separated by an undoped nonmagnetic spacer and placed inside a wider film modelled by a quantum well of infinite depth. We focus our study on the range of parameters for which the antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers can be expected. The critical temperatures for such system are found and their dependence on magnetic layer thickness and charge carriers concentration is discussed. The magnetization distribution within each magnetic layer is calculated as a function of layer thickness. The external field required to switch the mutual orientation of layer magnetizations from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic state is also discussed.