Spin valve with a composite dysprosium-based pinned layer as a tool for determining Dy nanolayer helimagnetism

Abstract Spin valves with nanostructure CoFe/Dy/CoFe and three-layer structures metal/Dy/metal were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The measurements of field dependences of magnetoresistance and magnetization were held at different temperatures. The changes of magnetotransport properties of spin valve containing CoFe/Dy/CoFe structure were used for getting information on the magnetic ordering in the dysprosium layer. The characteristic changes of magnetotransport properties caused by the formation of helical ordering in dysprosium layer were detected. Special attention was paid to the estimation of Neel temperature and to the investigation of microstructure of dysprosium nanolayer.