Superconducting spin valve effect of a v layer coupled to an antiferromagnetic [Fe/V] superlattice.

We studied superconducting V layers deposited on an antiferromagnetically coupled Fe(2)V(11) superlattice. The parallel upper critical magnetic field exhibits an anomalous T dependence up to the ferromagnetic saturation field of the superlattice, indicating that the superconducting transition temperature T(S) decreases when rotating the relative sublattice magnetization directions of the superlattice from antiparallel to parallel. This proves that the pair breaking effect of a Fe2 layer is reduced if at a distance of 1.5 nm a second Fe2 layer with antiparallel spin orientation exists.