Interlayer Exchange Coupling in Semiconductor EuS-PbS Ferromagnetic Wedge Multilayers

Antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling between ferromagnetic layers of EuS via nonmagnetic PbS spacer layer was experimentally studied in EuS-PbS wedge multilayers grown on KCl (001) substrates with EuS thickness of 6 nm and PbS thickness varying in the wedges in the range 0.3-6 nm (i.e. n=1-20 monolayers). Measurements of magnetic hysteresis loops of EuS-PbS multilayers performed in the temperature range 5-30 K by superconducting (SQUID) and magneto-optical magnetometers revealed a rapid increase in saturation magnetic field in multilayers with PbS spacer thinner than about 1.5 nm. It shows a monotonic increase in interlayer coupling strength with a decreasing PbS spacer thickness, in qualitative agreement with 1/2$\text{}^{n}$ dependence predicted theoretically for semiconductor magnetic superlattices.