Anomalous magnetization reversal due to proximity effect of antiphase boundaries

Abstract

Here we report anomalous double switching hysteresis loop and high coercivity (~0.1 T) in Fe3O4(110) thin films. Our analytical model based on spin chains confined within small antiphase boundary domains (APBDs) suggests a significant proximity effect of antiferromagnetic antiphase boundaries (APBs). Furthermore, the calculated domain size (D) follows the well-known scaling relation D=C?t. The results suggest that the interface exchange coupling between neighboring magnetic domains through antiferromagnetic APBs is responsible for the double switching hysteresis. Our findings could help advance the studies of anomalous properties of magnetic materials originating from growth defects. This effect can be utilized for the tunability of exchange bias in devices.