Tailoring exchange bias through chemical order in epitaxial FePt₃ films

Intentional introduction of chemical disorder into mono-stoichiometric epitaxial FePt3 films allows to create a ferro-/antiferromagnetic two-phase system, which shows a pronounced and controllable exchange bias effect. In contrast to conventional exchange bias systems, granular magnetic interfaces are created within the same crystallographic structure by local variation of chemical order. The amount of the exchange bias can be controlled by the relative amount and size of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic volume fractions and the interface between them. The tailoring of the magnetic composition alone, without affecting the chemical and structural compositions, opens the way to study granular magnetic exchange bias concepts separated from structural artifacts. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.