PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲

Theoretical study of the torque curves in some magnetic multilayer systems

A. Layadi
Département de Physique, Université Ferhat Abbas, Sétif 19000, Algeria
共Received 22 October 2008; published 30 March 2009兲
Analytical expressions involving features from torque curves are derived for an exchange coupled 关共AF兲/共F兲兴
bilayer, a coupled trilayer 关共F兲/共N-M兲/共F兲兴, and a magnetic tunnel junction 共MTJ兲-like 关共AF兲/共F兲/共N-M兲/共F兲兴
system. Included in the model are the exchange anisotropy field HE, the off-alignment angle ␤, the bilinear J1,
and the biquadratic J2 coupling strengths and the in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy fields of the two
layers whose easy axes make an angle ␦. It will be shown how these parameters can be analytically derived
from the torque curve. For the strong coupling case the MTJ-like system behaves as 共AF兲/共F兲 bilayer; for
arbitrary ␦ value, the magnetic anisotropy field of the resulting system has a nonlinear relationship with the
individual layer anisotropy fields.

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.79.104434 PACS number共s兲: 75.30.Gw, 75.70.Cn

I. INTRODUCTION will be discussed. Some of these results confirm the ones

A magnetic tunnel junction 共MTJ兲-like system 共spin
valve兲 has been lately the subject of a lot of experimental and
theoretical studies because, among other reasons, of its use
as giant magnetoresistive head in magnetic recording. Such a
system may consist of a stacking of an antiferromagnetic
共AF兲 thin film and two ferromagnetic 共F兲 layer thin films
共noted here A and B兲 separated by a nonmagnetic 共N-M兲
interlayer1–3 共see Fig. 1兲. The interaction at the interface of
layer 共A兲 with 共AF兲 gives rise to a unidirectional anisotropy
called exchange anisotropy.4–16 This anisotropy can be mod-
eled as a magnetic field HE, the exchange anisotropy field. It
is also found that in some cases, the unidirectional aniso-
tropy axis and the anisotropy axis of the ferromagnetic layer
共A兲 are not parallel but make an angle ␤ known as the off-
alignment angle.12–16 Layers 共A兲 and 共B兲 are magnetically
coupled. The magnetic coupling can be described by the bi-
linear J1 and the biquadratic J2 coupling parameters.17–26 The
former may favor a parallel alignment 共ferromagnetic cou-
pling兲 or an antiparallel alignment 共antiferromagnetic cou-
inferred from FMR analysis27 and from hysteresis curves.28
The geometry of the system and the energy will be displayed
in Sec. II. Some pertinent torque relations will be derived in
Sec. III. The effect of different parameters will be discussed
in Sec. IV for single layer, exchange 关共F兲/共AF兲兴 bilayer, a
trilayer 关共F兲A/N-M/共F兲B兴 coupled system and a MTJ-like 共or
spin valve兲 system.
II. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
The magnetic systems under study in the present work are
shown in Fig. 1. The more general one is the MTJ or spin
valve. It consists of an antiferromagnetic layer 共AF兲 on top
of which is deposited a first ferromagnetic 共F兲 layer 共labeled
A兲; layer A is separated from a second ferromagnetic layer B
(F) B
(F) A (N-M)
(AF) (F) A

pling兲 of the magnetizations MA and MB while the latter one

(a) (b)
共J2兲 may lead to a perpendicular configuration of MA and
M B.
In previous work, ferromagnetic resonance 共FMR兲 z
modes27 and analytical expressions for the hysteresis
curves28 were investigated for such a system. In the present (F) B
(N-M) y
work some features of the torque curves are studied for this
system; included in the model are the effects of the magnetic (F) A
H
coupling strength, the exchange anisotropy field 共HE兲, the (AF) x
HE MB
off-alignment angle ␤, and the uniaxial anisotropy fields 共HA MA
EA(B)
and HB兲 of the two ferromagnetic layers, with their easy axes
(c)
making an angle ␦ between them.
One of the objectives of the present work is to derive FIG. 1. The configuration of the three systems along with the
analytical formulas giving the pertinent magnetic parameters coordinate system 共a兲 exchange 共F兲/共AF兲 bilayer, 共b兲 coupled
of the system such as HE, ␤, ␦, and the interlayer magnetic trilayer, and 共c兲 magnetic tunnel junction or spin valve structure. 共F兲
coupling, as a function of some experimentally measurable ferromagnetic, 共AF兲 antiferromagnetic and 共N-M兲 nonmagnetic lay-
quantities from torque curves. This may constitute an alter- ers. HE exchange anisotropy field, H applied magnetic field, MA
native method for a straightforward derivation of these pa- 共MB兲: magnetization of layer A共B兲 and EA共B兲 layer B in-plane
rameters to the method based on the best fit as is usually anisotropy easy-axis direction. All the vectors are in the film planes
done. Incidentally, some interesting behaviors of the system, 共xOy plane兲. The angles between the x axis and H, HE, EA共B兲, MA
at a relatively more fundamental level, are encountered and and MB are denoted respectively ␣, ␤, ␦, ␾A, and ␾B.

1098-0121/2009/79共10兲/104434共8兲 104434-1 ©2009 The American Physical Society

A. LAYADI
by a nonmagnetic 共N-M兲 interlayer 关see Fig. 1共c兲兴. All the
thin film layers are assumed to lie in the x-y plane, with the
z axis normal to the film planes 共Fig. 1兲. The magnetization
MA of layer A is defined, in spherical coordinates, by the
angles ␪A and ␾A; and similarly MB 共layer B兲 by the angles
␪B and ␾B. Two magnetic phenomena arise in this system:
共i兲 First, the exchange anisotropy at the interface
antiferromagnetic-A layers, this is modeled as a magnetic
field HE, the exchange anisotropy field. The field HE is taken
in the film plane making an angle ␤ 共the off-alignment angle兲
with the x axis; layer A is supposed to have an in-plane
uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy with constant KA and
the easy axis taken to be along the x axis 共see Fig. 1兲.
共ii兲 Second, the magnetic coupling between two ferromag-
netic layers separated by a nonmagnetic interlayer. This in-
teraction will be described by the bilinear J1 and biquadratic
J2 coupling parameters. For layer 共B兲, the in-plane magneto-
crystalline anisotropy easy axis 共EA兲 is assumed to be in a
direction making an angle ␦ with the x axis 共Fig. 1兲.
The external applied magnetic field H is taken to be in the
plane of the films, making an angle ␣ with the x axis. At
equilibrium, the magnetizations MA and MB are expected to
lie in the film plane, i.e., ␪A = ␪B = ␲ / 2, due to the strong
demagnetizing field of the thin films and to the fact that the
applied magnetic field is in plane. Note that contrary to
ultrathin films consisting of one or a few atomic planes
where it was observed that the magnetization can be perpen-
dicular to the film plane due to a strong positive
magnetocrystalline29 共or surface兲 anisotropy, may oscillate
from in plane to out of plane30,31 as the thickness varies or
may be tilted,32 here it is assumed that the films are in the
thickness range where the shape anisotropy dominates and
the magnetizations lie in the film planes.
With all these considerations, the total free energy of the
system per unit area can be explicitly written as
E = tA关− M AH cos共␣ − ␾A兲 + KueffA
− KA cos2 ␾A − M AHE cos共␤ − ␾A兲兴
+ tB关− M BH cos共␣ − ␾B兲 + KueffB − KB cos2共␾B − ␦兲兴
− J1 cos共␾A − ␾B兲 − J2 cos2共␾A − ␾B兲. 共1兲
In the two first lines of Eq. 共1兲, tA and tB are the thick-
nesses of layers A and B, respectively. The total energy E
consists for layer A 共the first line兲 of the Zeeman energy
共interaction of the external magnetic field H with the mag-
netizations兲, the shape and any out-of-plane uniaxial aniso-
tropy with effective constant KueffA 共KueffA = Ku − 2␲ M A
2
, Ku
being the uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant兲,
the in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy with constant KA
and the exchange anisotropy with exchange anisotropy field
HE. For layer B 关the second line in Eq. 共1兲兴, the Zeeman
energy, the effective uniaxial, and in-plane anisotropy terms
are displayed. The interlayer coupling energy is given by the
two last terms 关third line in Eq. 共1兲兴. The angles ␾A,B are
given by the following two coupled equations 共the equilib-
rium conditions兲:
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PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲
HA
H sin共␣ − ␾A兲 = sin 2␾A − HE sin共␤ − ␾A兲
2
J1 J2
+ sin共␾A − ␾B兲 + sin 2共␾A − ␾B兲
a a
共2a兲
and
HB J1
H sin共␣ − ␾B兲 = sin 2共␾B − ␦兲 − sin共␾A − ␾B兲
2 b
J2
− sin 2共␾A − ␾B兲, 共2b兲
b
where HA = 2KA / M A and HB = 2KB / M B are the planar aniso-
tropy fields for layers A and B, respectively, and a = tAM A
and b = tBM B.
III. GENERAL TORQUE RELATIONS
In the following, expressions for the torque curves and the
slope of the curve at any point will be derived and discussed
as a function of the different parameters: the exchange and
anisotropies fields, the ␤ and ␦ angles and the magnetic cou-
pling strengths.
The torque relation can be obtained from the total energy
in Eq. 共1兲. The torque, per unit area, is found to be
aHA bHB
T= sin 2␾A + aHE sin共␾A − ␤兲 + sin 2共␾B − ␦兲.
2 2
共3兲
The angles ␾A and ␾B are given by Eqs. 共2a兲 and 共2b兲.
The torque curve slope, s, is defined as the derivative
of the torque with the respect to the applied field angle ␣,
i.e., s = dd␣T . Torque curve slopes have been used to study
the magnetic anisotropy in single thin films,33 the
magnetic coupling in a coupled layer system
共ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic兲34 and the ex-
change anisotropy field in bilayer exchanged thin films
共ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic兲.35
The torque T in Eq. 共3兲 depends explicitly on the angles
␾A and ␾B and implicitly on the applied field angle ␣. The
derivative of T with respect to ␣ will then be found by com-
puting the derivatives of T with respect to ␾A and ␾B from
Eq. 共3兲 and the derivatives of ␾A and ␾B with respect to ␣
which can be found from Eqs. 共2a兲 and 共2b兲. This can be
done by taking the total variation of both sides of Eqs. 共2a兲
and 共2b兲, dividing by d␣, and solving the two resulting equa-
tions for the derivatives of ␾A and ␾B with respect to ␣.
Following this method, one can show that the slope is given
by the expression
THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE TORQUE CURVES IN… PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲

H关aXBY A cos共␣ − ␾A兲 + bXAY B cos共␣ − ␾B兲 + Jeffe共Y A + Y B兲兴

s= , 共4兲
XAXB + Jeff共XA + XB兲

where with HE is shown in this figure as a dotted line.

XA = a关H cos共␣ − ␾A兲 + HA cos 2␾A + HE cos共␤ − ␾A兲兴,
XB = b关H cos共␣ − ␾B兲 + HB cos 2共␾B − ␦兲兴,
Y A = a关HA cos 2␾A + HE cos共␤ − ␾A兲兴,
From an experimental torque curve, on can measure the
shift ␣0, the slope s0 of the curve at ␣0, the maximum Tm of
共5a兲 the curve and the angle ␣m where the maximum occurs. Re-
call that the shift or crossing point ␣0 is given by T共␣0兲 = 0
共5b兲 which is achieved by the condition ␣0 = ␾A and leads 关from
the A part of the torque, i.e., the two first terms of Eq. 共3兲兴 to
共5c兲 the following equation:

HA
Y B = bHB cos 2共␾B − ␦兲, 共5d兲 sin 2␣0 = HE sin共␤ − ␣0兲. 共7a兲
2
e = a cos共␣ − ␾A兲 + b cos共␣ − ␾B兲, 共5e兲
From the first part 关corresponding to the 共AF兲/共A兲 system兴 of
and the effective magnetic coupling parameter Eq. 共6兲, the slope s0 at ␣0 will then be given by
Jeff = J1 cos共␾A − ␾B兲 + 2J2 cos 2共␾A − ␾B兲. 共5f兲

IV. DISCUSSIONS
A. Single and exchange-coupled layers
When the layers 共A兲 and 共B兲 are uncoupled, J1 = J2 = 0. If
the two layers were separate, then experimentally, one ob-
tains either the curves corresponding to 共AF兲/共A兲 关Fig. 2共a兲兴
or those of the single 共B兲 layer 共Fig. 3兲. When the two fer-
romagnetic layers are uncoupled in a spin valve system, then
one gets the sum of the two corresponding curves. For the
latter case, the slope of the torque curve at any point is given
by substituting Jeff = 0 in Eq. 共4兲. Replacing the different
quantities by their values 关Eqs. 共5a兲–共5e兲兴, one finds
aH关HA cos 2␾A + HE cos共␤ − ␾A兲兴cos共␣ − ␾A兲
s共Jeff = 0兲 =
H cos共␣ − ␾A兲 + HA cos 2␾A + HE cos共␤ − ␾A兲
bHHB cos 2共␾B − ␦兲cos共␣ − ␾B兲
+ . 共6兲
H cos共␣ − ␾B兲 + HB cos 2共␾B − ␦兲
The slope given by Eq. 共6兲 is just the sum of the slopes of the
torque curves corresponding to the 共A兲 layer with off-aligned
exchange anisotropy 共the first term兲 and to layer 共B兲 with
tilted in-plane uniaxial anisotropy axis.
The 共AF兲/共A兲 curves shown in Fig. 2共a兲 correspond to the
aligned case, ␤ = 0 共solid line兲 and the off-aligned one, ␤
⫽ 0 共dashed line兲. These are typical curves for the system
with exchange anisotropy, i.e., 共i兲 they have only one stable
position, 共ii兲 the shift of the curve 共dashed one兲 is due to the FIG. 2. 共Color online兲 共a兲 Torque vs applied field angle for an
off-alignment. It is easy to relate the shift ␣0 in the torque 共AF兲/共F兲 exchanged coupled layers 关layer 共A兲 here兴, with HE
curve 共the point where the curve crosses the ␣ axis兲 to the = 0.25 kOe and the aligned case ␤ = 0 共solid line兲 and the off-
off-alignment ␤ angle. Figure 2共b兲 presents an example of aligned case ␤ = 20° 共dashed line兲 共b兲 Variation in the slope 共solid
the variation in the slope at ␣0 = 0 共for ␤ = 0, solid line兲 and at line for ␤ = 0 and dashed line for ␤ = 20°兲 and the shift ␣0 共dotted
␣0 共for ␤ = 20°, dashed line兲 with the exchange anisotropy line兲 with the exchange anisotropy field HE. Other parameters used
field HE; as one can see the variation in the slope is quite in the computation: 4␲ M A = 10 kG, HA = 0.1 kOe, tA = 20 nm. Ap-
clear and easily detectable. Also the variation in the shift ␣0 plied magnetic field H = 1 kOe.

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A. LAYADI PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲

− ␣0兲兴 and 关sin 2␣0 cos共␣m − ␣0兲兴. Alternatively HE can be

obtained using ␣0 and s0 only by:15

HE =
2
冋
1 2
HA sin2 2␣0 + 4 冉
s 0H
aH − s0
− HA cos 2␣0 冊册
2 1/2
.

共9b兲
With the knowledge of HE and HA, the off-alignment angle ␤
will then be given by

␤ = ␣0 + sin−1 冋 HA sin 2␣0

2HE
. 册 共10兲

Note that in the aligned case, where ␤ = 0, the shift is equal to

zero 关see Eq. 共10兲兴 and Eqs. 共9a兲 and 共9b兲 reduce simply to
FIG. 3. 共Color online兲 Torque vs applied field angle for a single the following forms:

冋 册
ferromagnetic layer with in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy
关layer 共B兲兴 with HB = 0.1 kOe and tilt angle ␦ = 0 共solid line兲, ␦ 1 Tm HA sin 2␣m
HE = + 共11兲
= 30° 共dashed line兲. Other parameters used in the computation: cos ␣m a 2
4␲ M B = 6 kG, tB = 10 nm. Applied magnetic field H = 1 kOe.
and
aH关HA cos 2␣0 + HE cos共␤ − ␣0兲兴 s 0H
s0 = . 共7b兲 HE = − HA . 共12兲
H + HA cos 2␣0 + HE cos共␤ − ␣0兲 aH − s0
The maximum Tm of the curve occurs at ␣ = ␣m such that Thus with the measure of the shift ␣0, the slope s0 of the
s共␣m兲 = 0 whose solution can be ␾A = ␣m − ␲ / 2 共considering curve at ␣0, the maximum Tm of the curve and the angle ␣m
the first branch without loss of generality兲. Inserting this so- where the maximum occurs, one can obtain in a straightfor-
lution in the A part of the torque 关the two first terms in Eq. ward and unique manner the in-plane anisotropy field HA,
共3兲兴 will lead to the following expression for Tm: the exchange anisotropy field HE, and the off-alignment
aHA angle ␤. This analysis could be useful for investigating 共AF兲/
Tm = − sin 2␣m − aHE cos共␣m − ␤兲. 共7c兲 共F兲 exchange bilayer thin film.
2 The curve corresponding to layer 共B兲 共Fig. 3兲 is that of a
After some algebraic manipulations, the following analytical single ferromagnetic layer with in-plane magnetic anisotropy
relations are found for the in-plane anisotropy field HA, the with 共i兲 the easy direction along the x axis 共the easy direc-
exchange anisotropy field HE, and the off-alignment angle ␤: tions of layers A and B are parallel兲 共solid line兲, 共ii兲 an arbi-
trary easy-axis direction given by the tilt angle ␦ 共dashed

HA =
1
冋 Hs0
F s0 − aH
cos共␣m − ␣0兲 −
Tm
a
, 册 共8兲
line兲. The latter curve is shifted due to the tilt angle ␦; if ␦
= 0, then the curve will cross the ␣ axis at ␣B = 0 共solid line兲.
Here, it is easy to show that the shift angle ␣B is simply
where F is a function of the angles 共␣0 , ␣m兲 and is given by equal to the tilt angle ␦. Moreover the measure of the torque
关sin ␣m cos ␣m + sin3 ␣0 sin ␣m − cos3 ␣0 cos ␣m兴. In order to curve slope, at ␣ = ␣B, sB共␣B兲 will lead to the value of the
derive Eq. 共8兲, one has to express HE cos共␣m − ␤兲 in Eq. 共7c兲 in-plane anisotropy field intensity HB:
in terms of HA and measurable quantities from torque curve
共s0, ␣0, ␣m, and Tm兲. For that, one has first to make use sB共␣B兲H
HB = . 共13兲
of a trigonometric relation which gives HE cos共␣m − ␤兲 t B M BH − s B共 ␣ B兲
= HE sin共␤ − ␣0兲sin共␣m − ␣0兲 + HE cos共␤ − ␣0兲cos共␣m − ␣0兲.
Then one can find HE sin共␤ − ␣0兲 and HE cos共␤ − ␣0兲 from
Eqs. 共7a兲 and 共7b兲, respectively. Substituting these expres- B. Strongly coupled MTJ system
sions into Eq. 共7c兲 and solving for HA, one will get Eq. 共8兲. The other extreme case, i.e., very strongly coupled layers
Having found HA from Eq. 共8兲, HE will then be given, in will now be considered. When the coupling is ferromagnetic,
terms of Tm, HA, ␣0, and ␣m by then the two magnetizations MA and MB are always parallel

HE =
1
cos共␣m − ␣0兲 a
2
Tm
冋
2 +
4
2
HA
共G2 + I2兲 +
T mH AG
a
册 1/2
,
under the strong magnetic coupling, i.e., ␾A = ␾B = ␾F for all
␣ angles. The torque will then be given by Eq. 共3兲 substitut-
ing the magnetizations angles by ␾F. For the torque curve
共9a兲 slope, one may keep only the Jeff term in Eq. 共4兲. After some
algebraic manipulations, Eq. 共4兲 will then reduce to the fol-
where G and I are trigonometrical functions of ␣0 and ␣m lowing form for the slope s⬁ 共F兲 共for infinite ferromagnetic
and are given, respectively, by 关sin 2␣m + sin 2␣0 sin 共␣m coupling兲:

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THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE TORQUE CURVES IN… PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲

共a + b兲H关HFp cos 2共␾F − ␦eq兲 + HEF cos共␤eq − ␾F兲兴cos共␣ − ␾F兲

s⬁共F兲 = 共14a兲
H cos共␣ − ␾F兲 + HFp cos 2共␾F − ␦eq兲 + HEF cos共␤eq − ␾F兲

and the angle ␾F will be given by 冑共aHA + bHB cos 2␦兲2 + b2HB2 sin2 2␦
HFp = , 共15兲
a+b
HFp
H sin共␣ − ␾F兲 = sin 2共␾F − ␦eq兲 − HEF sin共␤eq − ␾F兲. aHE
2 HEF = , 共16兲
a+b
共14b兲

The torque curve corresponding to this strong ferromagnetic

1
␦eq = tan−1
2
冋 bHB sin 2␦
aHA + bHB cos 2␦
册, 共17兲

coupling is shown in Fig. 4 共solid line兲. Equations 共14a兲 and
共14b兲 关compare these equations to Eqs. 共6兲 and 共2兲兴 as well as
the torque curve for this strongly coupling case 关compare the
curves in Figs. 2共a兲 and 4兴 show that this strongly coupled
MTJ system is equivalent to an 共F兲/共AF兲 exchanged bilayer
thin film with effective in-plane and exchange anisotropy
fields HFp and HEF and effective tilt ␦eq and off-aligned ␤eq
angles. These quantities are given respectively by
while ␤eq = ␤.
For the strong antiferromagnetic coupling, assuming
a ⬎ b, the 共A兲 magnetization will tend to align along the H
direction while the 共B兲 magnetization will be antiparallel to
MA; one has, for all ␣ angles, ␾A = ␾AF and ␾B = ␲ + ␾AF.
Following the same procedure as for the previous case, one
finds that the slope s⬁ 共AF兲 共for infinite antiferromagnetic
coupling兲 can be written 关in the same form as Eq. 共14a兲兴

p cos 2共␾AF − ␦ 兲 + HE cos共␤ − ␾AF兲兴cos共␣ − ␾AF兲

共a − b兲H关HAF eq AF eq
s⬁共AF兲 = 共18兲
p cos 2共␾AF − ␦ 兲 + HE cos共␤ − ␾AF兲
H cos共␣ − ␾AF兲 + HAF eq AF eq

and the angle ␾AF is given by an equation similar to Eq. 关see Eqs. 共15兲 and 共19兲兴. Some particular cases are worth
共14b兲 by substituting HFp and HEF by HAF AF
p and HE , respec- noting where the relations become linear. In the situation
tively. Here the effective in-plane anisotropy field HAF
p is where the easy axes are parallel 共␦ = 0兲, the effective in-plane
given by anisotropy field reduces to the following:
冑共aHA + bHB cos 2␦兲2 + b2HB2 sin2 2␦
HAF
p = 共19兲
a−b
and the effective exchange anisotropy field
aHE
HEAF = . 共20兲
a−b
The torque curve for this strong antiferromagnetic coupling
is shown in Fig. 4 共dashed line兲. Once again this strongly
共antiferromagnetic兲 coupled MTJ system is equivalent to an
共F兲/共AF兲 exchanged bilayer thin film with effective in-plane
and exchange anisotropy fields HAF p and HE 共different for
AF

those found in the ferromagnetic coupling case兲. The effec-

tive tilt angle is the same as in the ferromagnetic coupling
case, i.e., ␦AF = ␦F = ␦eq 关given by Eq. 共17兲兴 and the effective
off-aligned angles 共␤AF = ␤F兲 are equal to original off-aligned
angle 共␤兲. FIG. 4. 共Color online兲 Torque curves for strongly coupled MTJ
Note that there is a nonlinear relationship between the system with ␤ = 20° and ␦ = 30°, for ferromagnetic 共solid line兲 and
effective in-plane field for the strongly coupled MTJ system antiferromagnetic 共dashed line兲 coupling cases. Other parameters as
and the in-plane anisotropy fields for the individual layers for Figs. 2 and 3.

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A. LAYADI PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲

aHA + bHB
p 共␦ = 0兲 =
Heq 共21兲
a⫾b
and the tilt angle ␦eq = 0, where + and − signs in Eq. 共21兲
correspond to ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic cou-
plings, respectively. For orthogonal easy axes 共␦ = 90°兲, one
obtains
aHA − bHB
p 共␦ = 90兲 =
Heq 共22兲
a⫾b
and ␦eq = 0. In the case of the rigid layer model36,37 where the
in-plane anisotropy of one layer 关layer 共A兲兴 is very strong
compared to that of the other layer 关layer 共B兲兴, one obtains
aHA + bHB cos 2␦
Heq
p = 共23兲 FIG. 5. 共Color online兲 Torque curves for coupled MTJ system
a⫾b
共solid line兲 and coupled trilayer system 关共F兲A/nonmagnetic/共F兲B兴
and 共dashed line兲. HE = 0.25 kOe, ␤ = 0°, and ␦ = 0°. Other parameters as
1
␦eq = tan−1
2
冋 bHB sin 2␦
aHA
册. 共24兲
for Figs. 2 and 3.

for the strong FC and AFC is found to satisfy the following

␦eq in this case is close to zero, i.e., the easy axis of the
whole system is along the layer 共A兲 easy axis. Finally for the
p and ␦ reduce
particular case where aHA = bHB = Q, then Heq eq
to
2Q cos ␦
Heq
p = 共25兲
a⫾b
and ␦eq = 2␦ + n2␲ , where n is an integer.
Thus, for a strong interlayer magnetic coupling, and for
both ferromagnetic 共labeled FC兲 and antiferromagnetic
共AFC兲 coupling, the whole 关共AF兲/共F兲/N-M/共F兲兴 magnetic
tunnel junction system behaves as a bilayer 关共AF兲/共F兲兴 thin
film, i.e., a single ferromagnetic layer with an effective in-
plane anisotropy field whose axis is tilted from the reference
axis 共the x axis兲 by an angle ␦eq and an effective exchange
anisotropy field with an off-aligned angle ␤eq. These quanti-
ties are expressed in terms of the individual layers param-
eters. Some remarks can be made about these quantities: 共i兲
the effective off-aligned angle ␤eq is the same for 共FC兲 and
共AFC兲 and is equal to the original ␤ angle of layer 共A兲, 共ii兲
the effective tilt angle ␦eq is equal for 共FC兲 and 共AFC兲 and is
different from ␦, 共iii兲 for arbitrary tilt angle ␦ the effective
in-plane anisotropy field is given by a nonlinear relationship
as a function of the individual anisotropy fields 共HA and HB兲,
one obtains a linear relationship only in some particular situ-
ations, 共iv兲 the effective exchange anisotropy field is less
than the original HE field of layer 共A兲 for 共FC兲 while it is
greater than HE for 共AFC兲, this enables one to increase HEeq to
any value by the right choice of a and b 共recall that a
= tAM A and b = tBM B兲. Some of these results confirm those
found in these systems by ferromagnetic resonance27 and
magnetization curves.28
Also for this strong coupling case an interesting relation is
found between the slopes for the FC and the AFC cases at
the crossing point. Note that the crossing point 共the intersec-
tion of the torque curve with the ␣ axis兲 is the same for both
cases 共see Fig. 4兲; this is because the effective tilt and off-
alignment angles are the same. In fact, the crossing point ␣ⴱ0
relation:
sin 2共␣0* − ␦eq兲
2aHE
= .
sin共␤ − ␣*兲0
冑共aHA + bHBcos 2␦兲2 + b2HB2 sin2 2␦
共26兲
It is easy to see that this general relation 关Eq. 共26兲兴 reduces
correctly to Eq. 共10兲 for an exchange coupled bilayer thin
film 关layer 共A兲 only兴 and to the fact that the shift is equal to
the tilt angle for layer 共B兲 only. However the slopes s⬁ 共F兲
and s⬁ 共AF兲 are different at the crossing point. The following
relation is found:
1 1 2b
− = . 共27兲
s⬁共AF兲 s⬁共F兲 H共a2 − b2兲
It is interesting to note that the difference in the inverse
slopes does not depend on the anisotropies 共exchange and
in-plane兲 and on the crossing point. It depends only on the
applied field H, the thickness and magnetization of each
layer.
C. Arbitrary coupling strength
Now for any arbitrary interlayer magnetic coupling, one
can still derive few useful analytical formulas allowing to
infer, from an experimental torque curve, magnetic param-
eters characterizing such a magnetic tunnel junction-like sys-
tem. This will be illustrated for the simple case where ␦ = 0
共no tilt angle兲 and ␤ = 0 共aligned case兲. In this situation, the
torque curve will cross the ␣ axis at ␣0 = 0 共no shift兲. Also,
saturation is achieved, e.g., at ␣ = 0, ␾A = ␾B = 0, when the
applied field is greater than the saturation field, this will be
assumed in the subsequent analysis.
Let us first take the case of a coupled trilayer system 共thus
no exchange anisotropy HE兲. An example of a torque curve
for such a system is shown in Fig. 5 共dashed line兲. Let s共J , 0兲
be the torque curve slope at ␣ = 0, for HE = 0 and arbitrary
coupling. By measuring s共J , 0兲, it is found that the effective

104434-6
THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE TORQUE CURVES IN…
coupling parameter Jeff 关equal to 共J1 + 2J2兲 for this saturated
system case兴 can be given by the following relation:
H关PH + 共a + b兲HAHB兴 − s共J,0兲共H + HA兲共H + HB兲
Jeff = ab , thus coupling can be assumed to be the same for both
s共J,0兲关共a + b兲H + P兴 − 共a + b兲PH
共28兲
where P = aHA + bHB. Now, the spin valve system will be
considered; the corresponding torque curve is shown in
HE = 冉冊1 兵ab共H + HA兲共H + HB兲 + Jeff关共a + b兲H + P兴其关s共J,0兲 − s共J,HE兲兴
a b关s共J,HE兲共H + HB兲 − H共aH + P兲兴 + Jeff关s共J,HE兲 − 共a + b兲H兴
For uncoupled layers 共Jeff = 0兲, Eq. 共29兲 becomes
共H + HA兲共H + HB兲关s共0,0兲 − s共0,HE兲兴
HE = . 共30兲
s共0,HE兲共H + HB兲 − aH共H + HA兲 − bHHB
While for very strong coupling, HE will be given by
关H共a + b兲 + aHA + bHB兴关s共⬁,0兲 − s共⬁,HE兲兴
HE = . 共31兲
a关s共⬁,HE兲 − 共a + b兲H兴
For strong applied field H and for any coupling strength, HE
will be simply given by
s共J,HE兲 − s共J,0兲
HE = . 共32兲
a
Recall that a = tAM A and the torque curve to be considered
here is the torque per unit area.
Finally, when the coupling is antiferromagnetic, then one
can derive analytical relations giving separate values of the
bilinear J1 and biquadratic J2 coupling parameters from the
measure of torque curves 共note that generally a Jeff value is
experimentally derived兲. If the applied field H1 is greater
than the saturation field, then at ␣ = 0, ␾A = ␾B = 0, let s1 be
the slope of the corresponding torque curve at ␣ = 0. If the
applied field H2 is lower than the critical field 共field below
which the two magnetizations are antiparallel under the an-
tiferromagnetic coupling兲 then at ␣ = 0, ␾A = 0 and ␾B = ␲
共assuming a ⬎ b so that MA will tend to the field direction
while MB will be opposite to it兲, let s2 be the slope of the
corresponding torque curve at ␣ = 0. Then after some trans-
formations J1 and J2 are given by
共f 1+兲 + 共f 2−兲
J1 = 共33兲
2
and
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PHYSICAL REVIEW B 79, 104434 共2009兲
Fig. 5 共solid line兲. Assuming Jeff to be known from the
trilayer system, Eq. 共28兲 共experimentally this is done by
growing at the same time the trilayer and the MTJ system,
samples兲. The difference in the curve slopes 共see for example
at ␣ = 0 in Fig. 5兲 is then due to the effect of HE. Noting
s共J , HE兲 and s共J , 0兲 the slopes at ␣ = 0 for the spin valve and
the coupled trilayer, respectively, then HE can be derived by
. 共29兲
共f 1+兲 − 共f 2−兲
J2 = , 共34兲
4
where
ab兵PH2i + 共a ⫾ b兲HiHAHB − si共Hi + HA兲共Hi ⫾ HB兲其
f i⫾ = ,
Hi共a ⫾ b兲共si − P兲 + si P
共35兲
where i = 1 , 2. Here for simplicity HE is taken to be zero,
generalizing to an arbitrary value of HE is straightforward.
Note that generally J1 and J2 cannot be separately measured,
an effective Jeff 共equal to J1 ⫾ 2J2兲 is instead derived. In
some particular situations,20,36,37 methods have been worked
out to derive separate values of J1 and J2. The present
method can be used to derive these parameters, in a straight-
forward and unique manner, by means of the analytical ex-
pressions and measurable quantities from torque curves.
V. CONCLUSION
Torque curves have been investigated for a series of
multilayer systems, a single ferromagnetic layer with tilted
axis anisotropy, an exchange coupled bilayer thin film, and a
magnetic tunnel junction-like system 共or spin valve兲. The
analytical expressions pertaining to the torque curves allow
to derive, in a straightforward manner, different magnetic
parameters characterizing these systems. Some general rela-
tions involving features from torque curves have been ob-
tained. It was found that for a strong coupling, the MTJ-like
system behaves as an exchange coupled 共F兲/共AF兲 bilayer
with effective exchange and anisotropy fields. In general,
these characteristic fields have a nonlinear relationship as a
function of the individual layer anisotropy fields. Moreover
with the right choice of the magnetization and thickness of
the ferromagnetic layers, one may tune the value of the ex-
change bias field of the whole system.
A. LAYADI
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