Access

Article

Nature Materials 5, 477–481 (1 June 2006) | doi:10.1038/nmat1646

Atomic spin structure of antiferromagnetic domain walls

M. Bode , E. Y. Vedmedenko , K. von Bergmann , A. Kubetzka , P. Ferriani , S. Heinze & R. Wiesendanger

The search for uncompensated magnetic moments on antiferromagnetic surfaces is of great technological importance as they are responsible for the exchange-bias effect that is widely used in state-of-the-art magnetic storage devices. We have studied the atomic spin structure of phase domain walls in the antiferromagnetic Fe monolayer on W(001) by means of spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. The domain wall width only amounts to 6–8 atomic rows. Although walls oriented along |[lang]|100|[rang]| directions are found to be fully compensated, detailed analysis of |[lang]|110|[rang]|-oriented walls reveals an uncompensated perpendicular magnetic moment. Our result represents a major advance in the field of antiferromagnetism, and may lead to a better understanding of the magnetic interaction between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials.