Characteristic temperatures of exchange biased systems

Abstract

Characteristic temperatures in ferromagnetic - antiferromagnetic exchange biased systems are analyzed. In addition to usual blocking temperature of exchange bias $T_{B}$, and the Néel temperature of an antiferromagnet $T_{N}$, the inducing temperature $T_{ind}$, i.e., the temperature, at which the direction of exchange anisotropy is established, has been recently proposed. We demonstrate that this temperature is in general case different from $T_{B}$ and $T_{N}$. Physics and experimental approaches to measure the inducing temperature are discussed. Measurements of $T_{ind}$, in addition to $T_{B}$, and $T_{N}$, provide important information about exchange interactions in ferromagnetic - antiferromagnetic heterostructures.