Range dependence of interlayer exchange coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how non-magnetic impurities and interface roughness differently influence the interlayer exchange coupling in metallic multilayers, revealing distinct effects on the coupling's decay and range.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the separate impacts of impurities and roughness on interlayer coupling, highlighting their different mechanisms and effects.

Findings

Impurities cause exponential decay with a long decay length.

Interface roughness attenuates coupling without changing its range.

Both defects influence electron scattering and coupling decay differently.

Abstract

We have considered the effects of non magnetic impurities and interface roughness on the interlayer coupling between magnetic layers in metallic multilayers. The two types of defects alter the interlayer coupling in quite different ways. Elastic electron scattering by impurities in the non magnetic spacer layers between magnetic layers produces an exponential decay of the coupling with a characteristic decay length that is considerably longer than the ``global'' transport mean free path for the spacer layer with its surrounding interfaces. Interfacial roughness leads to an attenuation of the coupling that is related to the width of the roughness in relation to the Fermi wavelength; roughness does not alter the range dependence of the coupling. For certain types of electrical transport, e.g., for current perpendicular to the plane of the layers, the scattering from interface roughness and impurities in the spacer layers contribute on an equal footing to the exponential decay of the electron propagators, i.e., global mean free path. We show that interface roughness and impurities in the spacer layer affect the interlayer coupling differently.