How a ferromagnet drives an antiferromagnet in exchange biased CoO/Fe(110) bilayers

Antiferromagnet/ferromagnet (AFM/FM) bilayers that display the exchange bias (EB) effect have been subjected to intensive material research, being the key elements of novel spintronics systems. In a commonly accepted picture, the antiferromagnet, considered as a rigid material due to its high anisotropy and magnetic hardness, controls the magnetic properties of the ferromagnet, such as a shift of the hysteresis loop or coercivity. We show that this AFM-FM master-slave hierarchy is not generally valid and that the influence of the ferromagnet on the magnetic anisotropy (MA) of the neighbouring antiferromagnet must be considered. Our computer simulation and experimental studies of EB in an epitaxial CoO/Fe(110) bilayer show that the ferromagnetic layer with strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy determines the interfacial spin orientations of the neighbouring AFM layer and rotates its easy axis. This effect has a strong feedback on the EB effect experienced by the FM layer. Our results show new physics behind the EB effect, providing a route for grafting a desired anisotropy onto the AFM and for precise tailoring of EB in AFM/FM systems.