Thickness-dependent structural and magnetic properties of bilayer thin films: Implications for exchange bias applications

¹ Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, King Khalid University - P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
² Department of Physics, College of Science, Taif University - Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
³ Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Bisha - Bisha 61922, Saudi Arabia
⁴ Department of Physical Sciences, Physics Division, College of Science, Jazan University - P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
⁵ Department of Laser Sciences and Interactions, National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University Giza, Egypt
⁶ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Taibah University - Yanbu 46423, Saudi Arabia

Received: 29 March 2025
Accepted: 4 July 2025

Abstract

Multifunctional materials combining electric and magnetic ordering have garnered significant attention due to their potential in next-generation electronic devices, especially in spintronics. The exchange bias (EB) effect, which comes from the combination of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials, is very important for how well devices work. In this study, bilayer thin films of Pr₂NiMnO₆ (PNMO) and NdFeO₃ (NFO) were fabricated using pulsed-laser deposition on SrTiO₃ substrates. The effects of varying the PNMO layer thickness on crystal structure, magnetism, and exchange bias were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction confirmed epitaxial growth, while magnetic measurements revealed the impact of interfacial strain on exchange coupling. The results show that making the PNMO layer thicker improves the exchange bias (EB), mainly because it reduces strain at the interface and helps align the magnetic domains better. This finding emphasizes the future promise of multiferroic materials for advanced applications in spintronic devices.