Direct Evidence of a Nonorthogonal Magnetization Configuration in Single Crystalline Fe1-xCox/Rh/Fe/Rh(001) System

Tetragonal distortion in Fe1-xCox alloy films grown epitaxially on Rh(001) substrates results in a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Since the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy varies with the Fe1-xCox film composition, one can grow multilayer structures with ferromagnetic films sequentially showing either an in-plane (e.g., Fe) or out-of-plane (e.g., Fe0.5Co0.5) easy-magnetization axis. The Rh spacers mediate an interlayer coupling which couples the magnetizations either ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically, depending on the spacer thickness. When the anisotropy energy is compatible to the coupling, it produces nonorthogonal magnetization configurations which vary under a small change of the external magnetic field.