FORC analysis of ferro-ferromagnetic exchange bias in nanocrystalline ribbons

Horizontal shift and distortion of the hysteresis loops can be induced in some Co-based nanocrystalline systems in which soft and hard ferromagnetic phases coexist. As all the aspects of the phenomenon can be well explained in terms of the exchange interaction between the two phases, it has been identified as an induced ferro-ferromagnetic exchange bias. In this work we use the differential analysis based on first-order reversal curves to analyse this particular kind of exchange bias, through the comparison of the FORC diagrams corresponding to samples with different crystallization degrees. A detailed study of the evolution of such diagrams is presented, pointing in each case to the more outstanding features of the spots corresponding to the different phases as well as to their interactions.