The International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.
This award will support a twelve-month research fellowship by Dr. Heather L. Brown to work with Dr. Amanda K. Petford-Long at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Co-support is provided by the Math and Physical Sciences Directorate's Office of Multi-disciplinary Activities.
Exchange biased layers form important components in magnetic multilayer systems used for advanced data storage and sensing application. Better understanding of the interactions that can take place between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic films will be of interest particularly in regard to the role that the interface plays. During this fellowship, the PI will learn three new and powerful techniques that have applicability to a wide range of film systems. The PI will study films whose bulk properties she has already measured. These three techniques will provide a good description of the film microstructure, the local elemental distribution around the interface and the magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic layer. From these a fuller characterization of the interface should be possible.
