Abstract

Positive exchange bias (PEB) is a remarkable phenomenon, which was recently observed experimentally. Normal (negative) exchange bias (NEB) was discovered more than 40 years ago. Its signature is the shift of the hysteresis loop along the applied field axis by H-E < 0, in systems where a ferromagnet (FM) is in close contact with an antiferromagnet (AFM). This occurs after the system is cooled below the Neel temperature in an external field H-cf of a few kOe. As H-cf is substantially increased H-E adopts positive values. Here we explain this rather unexpected behavior on the basis of an incomplete domain wall model that develops in the FM, for Fe/FeF2 and Fe/MnF2 systems. A consistent and unified picture of both NEB and FEB, and satisfactory quantitative agreement with experimental results are obtained on the basis of our theory. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.