Ferromagnetic resonance study of sputtered NiFe/V/NiFe heterostructures

The Ni81Fe19/V/Ni81Fe19 heterostructures has been produced by magnetron sputtering and analyzed by ferromagnetic resonance. Two systems were investigated: the non symmetrical NiFe(50 Å)/V(t)/NiFe(30 Å) trilayers and the symmetrical NiFe(80 Å)/V(t)/NiFe(80 Å) trilayers, with variable ultrathin V thickness t. Ferromagnetic exchange coupling was evidenced for t below 10 Å by the excitation of the optic mode, in the case of the non symmetrical samples, and by the observation of a single resonance mode for the symmetrical trilayers. For larger V thickness, all samples exhibited two modes, which were attributed to the resonance of the individual NiFe layers with different effective magnetizations. The analysis with the equilibrium and resonance conditions provided the exchange coupling constants and effective magnetizations.