Temperature dependent studies of coupled Fe₅₅Pt₄₅/Fe₄₉Rh₅₁ thin films

Equiatomic FeRh, with its highly unusual antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition at 370K, provides an ability to create artificial multifunctional materials when combined with high anisotropy magnetic thin films in an exchange mediated structure. We investigate the temperature dependence of switching in L10 FePt/FeRh bilayer thin films, where the FeRh assists the switching of the FePt at modestly increased temperatures. A simple layered macrospin model is able to capture the switching characteristics of these films and shows good agreement with experimental results. Patterned L10 FePt/FeRh structures, measured using the anomalous Hall effect, show a similar temperature dependent switching behavior paving the way for reduced switching fields in future applications including heat-assisted bit patterned media recording and spintronic devices