Current-perpendicular-to-plane junctions with different cross-sectional areas were fabricated from Fe3Si/FeSi2 artificial lattice films, wherein antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling was induced across the FeSi2 spacer layers, by employing a focused ion beam (FIB) apparatus. Evident hysteresis loops in the electrical resistance for current injection due to current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) were observed. The average value of critical current densities for inducing CIMS was 2  10 2 A/cm 2 , which is at least three orders of magnitude smaller than values that have ever been reported. This might be because CIMS in our junctions is induced by the destruction of the AF interlayer coupling, which differs from the general mechanism of CIMS.

Fe3Si/FeSi2 artificial lattices, wherein ferromagnetic (F)/antiferromagnetic (AF) interlayer coupling between the Fe3Si layers were induced by controlling the thickness of FeSi2 layers, were prepared on Si(111) substrates by facing targets direct‐current sputtering. The interlayer couplings were investigated at different temperatures by measuring the magnetization curves. The AF coupling at room temperature was gradually weakened with a decrease in the temperature, and it finally became ferromagnetic or noncoupled at temperatures lower than 77 K. We consider that the FeSi2 layers act as semiconductors and their change in the electric state for the temperature induces the interlayer coupling switching.

Current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) junctions comprising Fe3Si/FeSi2 multilayers were prepared by a lift-off process combined with lithography techniques. The Fe3Si/FeSi2 multilayered films were grown on Si (111) substrates at room temperature by facing-targets direct-current sputtering. From the X-ray diffraction measurements, it was confirmed that the Fe3Si layers were epitaxially grown from the first layer on Si (111) up to the top layer across the FeSi2 layers with the same orientation relationship as that in the first layer. The CPP junctions, wherein ferromagnetic interlayer coupling across the FeSi2 spacer layers was induced, exhibited an obvious change in the electrical resistance for the current injection, which might be due to current-induced magnetization switching.