A 1D study of antiferromagnetic operated on multiferroic composites in nano read head

This paper presents a study of the effect of antiferromagnetic (AFM) integration on the nano AFM-pinned multiferroic (MF) composites structure. The nano MF composites structure is a potential candidate for a future magnetic read head. The simulation of the AFM/ ferromagnetic (FM) bilayers characteristics and the evaluation of the magnetoelectric (ME) effect induced in the 1-dimensional (1D) longitudinal–transverse (L–T) mode model of AFM-pinned structure of AFM/FM/Ferroelectric (FE)/FM/AFM are performed. FM, FE, and two types of AFM materials are Terfenol-D, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and PtMn and \(\mathrm{Cr}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}\), respectively. The AFM material is used in pinning the magnetization of the FM layer through the exchange bias effect. The result shows that the bilayer characteristic is clearly altered by the presence of AFM and the magnetization saturation of the bilayer increases with the AFM thickness. PtMn exhibits more stable magnetic characteristic than \(\mathrm{Cr}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}\). The ME effect is then investigated using the 1D standard square law. Magnetic-field induced strain in the FM layer, piezoelectric response of the PZT layer, and the ME coefficient are determined. It is found that the maximum electric field and potential across the PZT layer are achieved at 2.7 nm thick of PtMn. The result is well supported by associated magnetic field-induced strain and ME coefficient.