Magnetization study of interlayer exchange in semiconductor EuS–PbS ferromagnetic wedge multilayers

Abstract Interlayer coupling was experimentally studied in semiconductor EuS–PbS ferromagnetic superlattice wedge structures grown on KCl (0 0 1) substrates with the wedges covering the semiconductor nonmagnetic PbS spacer layer thickness from 0.3 to 6 nm. Structural parameters of the wedges were examined by X-ray diffraction analysis of EuS–PbS superlattice period. Measurements of magnetic hysteresis loops of EuS–PbS structures were performed by both SQUID (for small terminal parts of the wedge) and MOKE (magneto-optical analysis along the wedge) magnetometry. A strong decrease of magnetic remanence and an increase of saturation field observed for EuS–PbS structures with the PbS spacer thickness decreasing below about 1.5 nm is discussed in terms of the influence of antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling.