  The observation of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) at MgO/Fe
interfaces boosted the development of spintronic devices based on ultrathin
ferromagnetic layers. Yet, magnetization reversal in the standard magnetic
tunnel junctions (MTJs) with competing PMA and in-plane anisotropies remains
unclear. Here we report on the field induced nonvolatile broken symmetry
magnetization reorientation transition from the in-plane to the perpendicular
(out of plane) state at temperatures below 50K. The samples were 10 nm thick Fe
in MgO/Fe(100)/MgO as stacking components of V/MgO/Fe/MgO/Fe/Co double barrier
MTJs. Micromagnetic simulations with PMA and different second order
anisotropies at the opposite Fe/MgO interfaces qualitatively reproduce the
observed broken symmetry spin reorientation transition. Our findings open the
possibilities to develop multistate epitaxial spintronics based on competing
magnetic anisotropies.
