The exchange biasing field (Heb) and coercive field (Hc) of molecular-beam-epitaxy-grown Cu/Ni80Fe20/Fe50Mn50 samples in [111], [001], and [110] orientations have been investigated by longitudinal Kerr effect measurements. Ni80Fe20 and Fe50Mn50 were deposited as orthogonal wedge-shaped layers on single-crystal Cu substrates in a magnetic field, enabling the study of the thickness dependence of Heb and Hc on a single sample for each orientation. A strong dependence of Heb and Hc on the growth orientation is observed. The results are interpreted in terms of the observed noncollinear spin structure of the antiferromagnet and a comparison is given with the predictions from recent theoretical models.

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Magnetic anisotropies and misfit strain relaxations have been investigated in Cu/Ni-wedge/Cu (100) and (111) sandwiches deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on single-crystal Cu substrates. Our results reveal a clear distinction in the nature of the measured anisotropy at Ni thicknesses below and above the critical value tc, where the growth becomes incoherent. Below tc, coherent lattice strain modifies only the volume anisotropy, while interface anisotropy is Néel type; above tc, magnetoelastic effects are found to contribute to the interface anisotropy.

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