Stable asymmetric magnetization reversal in epitaxial Co(001)/CoO(001) bilayer

The exchange bias (EB) in ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AFM) bilayer systems causes a shift in the magnetic hysteresis curve after field cooling through the Néel temperature of the AFM. In some cases, this shift is accompanied by an asymmetry between the ascending and descending branches. In the past, this asymmetric magnetization reversal has been studied in different bilayer systems, including polycrystalline Co/CoO thin films. Here, we investigate the asymmetric magnetization reversal in an epitaxial fcc-Co(001)/CoO(001) thin film grown on MgO(001) by molecular beam epitaxy at varying temperatures up to room temperature after field cooling along the easy and the hard axes. Room temperature measurements of the longitudinal and transverse magneto-optic Kerr effect show different magnetization reversal processes via stable intermediate states for different angles between the external magnetic field and the magnetic easy axes. Once the sample is cooled below the blocking temperature, a pronounced asymmetric magnetization reversal can be observed. We show that in contrast to polycrystalline bilayers, the loop asymmetry stays constant after multiple training cycles and that the magnitude of the asymmetry is directly correlated with the magnitude of the EB.