Exchange bias effect of ferro-/antiferromagnetic heterostructures

The exchange bias (EB) effect was discovered 60 years ago by Meiklejohn and Bean. Meanwhile the EB effect has become an integral part of modern magnetism with implications for basic research and for numerous device applications. The EB effect was the first of its kind which relates to an interface effect between two different classes of materials, here between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet. Here we review fundamental aspects of the exchange bias effect.