Magnetoresistance in epitaxial [NiFe/Cu/Co(/Cu)] films

Epitaxial [NiFe/Cu/Co(/Cu)] films have been grown on Si(100)/Cu substrates using an ultrahigh vacuum evaporation method. Magnetoresistance (MR) and magnetization were measured at room temperature with maximum applied field, 40 kA/m. The (100) oriented [NiFe(3 nm)/Cu(6 nm)/Co(3 nm)/Cu(6 nm)] × 10 multilayers showed a sharply peaked MR curve (when the external field was applied along [011] direction) due to magnetization rotation of free NiFe layers separated from Co layers with thick Cu layers. Furthermore the interposition of a Ag layer in the Cu layer reduced the couplings between ferromagnetic layers and improved the sensitivity of the [NiFe/Cu/Co(/Cu)] film. Si(100)/Cu(5 nm)/[Co(3 nm)/Cu(2.4 nm)/Ag(0.2 nm)/Cu(2.4 nm)/NiFe(3 nm)/Cu(2.4 nm)/Ag(0.2 nm)/Cu(2.4 nm)] × 10 multilayers showed a resistivity change of about 8.2% per kA/m (12 Oe).     

Prerequisites for high-quality magnetic tunnel junctions: XPS and NMR study of Co/Al bilayers

Aluminum films with thicknesses ranging from 1 nm to 12 nm have been sputtered on 20 nm thick Co layers. The properties of the Co/Al bilayers were studied by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Both methods show independently that a 1 nm Al film covers the Co surface completely. XPS and NMR also showed that layers thicker than 1 nm Al are not oxidized completely in ambient air. Similarities to and deviations from niobium with Al overlayers (Nb/Al) are described. Prerequisites for the fabrication of tunneling magnetoresistance devices based on Co or NiFe ferromagnets and an aluminum oxide barrier are discussed. Received: 7 July 1999 / Accepted: 11 November 1999 / Published online: 8 March 2000     

磁性隧道结Ni80Fe20/Al2O3/Co的制备和物性

用等离子体氧化形成绝缘层的方法,重复性地制备出了Ｎｉ８０Ｆｅ２０／Ａｌ２Ｏ３／Ｃｏ磁性隧道结。样品的隧道磁电阻（ＴＭＲ）比值在室温下最高可达６．０％,翻转场（ｓｗｉｔｃｈ ｆｉｅｌｄ）可低于８００Ａ／ｍ,平台宽度约２４００Ａ／ｍ。结电阻的变化范围从几百欧姆到几百千欧。     

Enhancement of magnetoresistance sensitivity in Co/Cu/NiFe trilayers by softening the Co hard layer

Co/Cu/NiFe trilayers were prepared by sputtering without magnetic field applied. We have found that the Co(2 nm)Cu(1 nm)NiFe(2 nm) trilayer using Ta as buffer layer exhibits an enhanced magnetoresistance (MR) sensitivity by a factor of more than 6 and a low saturation field of 9.3 Oe. Experimental results have demonstrated that the low saturation field is attributed to the softening of the Co layer by depositing the Co(2 nm)Cu(1 nm)NiFe(2 nm) sandwich on Ta layer. The decrease of the coercivity of the Co layer also plays an important role in the enhancement of MR sensitivity by reducing the effective coercivity of the NiFe layer, which is discussed in terms of the change in interlayer coupling.     

在Pd/Cu(100)表面上外延的超薄Co膜的结构和磁性

利用脉冲激光溅射(PLD)和分子束外延(MBE)方法制备了超薄膜系统 Co/Pd/Cu(100).脉冲激 光溅射生长的单原子Pd层呈现了很好的二维生长模式.在这个Pd表面上，分子束外延生长的C o层直至12个原子层都表现了层-层生长模式.利用俄歇电子谱(AES)和低能电子衍射(LEED)研 究了该系统的表面结构.利用低温磁光克效应(MOKE)研究了系统的磁学性质.结构研究表明， Co层由于面内晶格失配应力而具有一个四方正交结构；与对比样品Co/Cu(100)的比较研究说 明Pd层的存在强烈地改善了Co膜的起始生长模式和结构.磁光克效应测量表明，Pd层的存在 改变了Co层的磁学性质. 关键词： 薄膜的磁性质 组织与形貌 界面磁性     

Current-induced two-level fluctuations in pseudo-spin-valve (Co/Cu/Co) nanostructures

Two-level fluctuations of the magnetization state of pseudo-spin-valve pillars Co(10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)/Co(30 nm) embedded in electrodeposited nanowires ( approximately 40 nm in diameter, 6000 nm in length) are triggered by spin-polarized currents of 10(7) A/cm(2) at room temperature. The statistical properties of the residence times in the parallel and antiparallel magnetization states reveal two effects with qualitatively different dependences on current intensity. The current appears to have the effect of a field determined as the bias field required to equalize these times. The bias field changes sign when the current polarity is reversed. At this field, the effect of a current density of 10(7) A/cm(2) is to lower the mean time for switching down to the microsecond range. This effect is independent of the sign of the current and is interpreted in terms of an effective temperature for the magnetization.     

Spin-dependent hot electron transport in Co/Cu thin films

Hot-electron transport in Co/Cu/Co trilayer films has been studied in the energy range from 1.0 to 2.0 eV using ballistic electron magnetic microscopy. Both the spin-dependent attenuation lengths of Co and the cumulative polarizing effects of spin-dependent tunneling and transmission across a Co/Cu interface have been determined. For very thin (a few A) Co layers, the latter effects result in a weakly majority-spin polarized electron beam above approximately 1.3 eV and a minority-spin polarized beam below approximately 1.2 eV. For thicker Co layers the transmitted beam is always majority-spin polarized.     

Aluminum thickness dependence of resistance change in spin tunneling junctions Co/Al-oxide/Co

The oxidation states of Al-oxide layer and the leakage current density in coercive differential spin tunneling junctions Co/Al-oxide/Co have been investigated in order to clear the mechanism of the increasing resistance change. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows that the resistance change increases with decreasing unoxidized Al, which can be qualitatively explained by using first-principle band calculation based on linear-muffin-tin-orbital atomic-sphere-approximation method. The resistance change decreases with increasing leakage current density, which originates from Schottky effect. Reduction of unoxidized Al and leakage current density originating from Schottky effect is required to obtain the large resistance change in spin tunneling junctions.     

Structural and Magnetic Properties of the Al2O3/Ge-p/Al2O3/Co System

Technical Physics - The Al2O3/Ge-p/Al2O3/Co system with an Al2O3 buffer layer deposited by ion-plasma sputtering has been experimentally investigated. The dependences of the magnetic properties of...     

Magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of epitaxial Co/Cu/Co trilayers on Si(111)

Giant magnetoresistance of the epitaxial Co/Cu/Co trilayers grown on vicinal Si(111) was determined as a function of Cu spacer coverage in the range from 0 to 7 ML. The first maximum of giant magnetoresistance and antiferromagnetic coupling was detected at 3.0 ML coverage of the Cu spacer. The portion of antiferromagnetic coupling in the first antiferromagnetic maximum was estimated as 17%. 3D growth mode of the Cu spacer leads to the simultaneous occurrence of the ferromagnetically and antiferromagnetically coupled areas between the Co layers.     

CuO/Al2O3、CuO/CeO2-Al2O3和CuO/La2O3-Al2O3催化剂中CuO物种被CO氧化的比较

用浸渍法制备了CuO/Al2O3 (Cu/Al)、CuO/CeO2- Al2O3 (Cu/CeAl)和CuO/La2O3-Al2O3(Cu/LaAl)催化剂. 通过原位XRD、Raman和H2-TPR方法， 对催化剂中的CuO物种以及CuO-Al2O3的固-固相反应进行了表征. 结果表明，对于Cu/Al催化剂，CuAl2O4存在于CuO与Al2O3层之间，CuO以高分散和晶相两种相态存在于催化剂的表层；对于Cu/CeAl催化剂，除了少量高分散和晶相的CuO存在于表层外，大部分CuO迁移到了CeO2的内层，     

Current-induced magnetization reversal in high magnetic fields in Co/Cu/Co nanopillars

Current-induced magnetization dynamics in Co/Cu/Co trilayer nanopillars (approximately 100 nm in diameter) have been studied experimentally at low temperatures for large applied fields perpendicular to the layers. At 4.2 K an abrupt and hysteretic increase in resistance is observed at high current densities for one polarity of the current, comparable to the giant magnetoresistance effect observed at low fields. A micromagnetic model that includes a spin-transfer torque suggests that the current induces a complete reversal of the thin Co layer to alignment antiparallel to the applied field--that is, to a state of maximum magnetic energy.     

Broken particle-hole symmetry at atomically flat a-axis YBa2Cu3O7-delta interfaces

We have studied quasiparticle tunneling into atomically flat a-axis films of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) and DyBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) through epitaxial CaTiO3 barriers. The junction heterostructures were grown by oxide molecular beam epitaxy and were carefully optimized using in situ monitoring techniques, resulting in unprecedented crystalline perfection of the superconductor-insulator interface. Below T(c), the tunneling conductance shows the evolution of a large unexpected asymmetrical feature near zero-bias. This is evidence that superconducting YBCO crystals, atomically truncated along the lobe direction with a titanate layer, have intrinsically broken particle-hole symmetry over macroscopically large areas.     

Selective removal and patterning of a Co/Cu/Co trilayer created by femtosecond laser processing

The selective removal and patterning of a typical pseudo-spin-valve structure, consisting of a Co(20 nm)/ Cu(6 nm)/Co(3 nm) trilayer, by femtosecond laser has been examined in terms of irradiation parameters and layer structure. Ablation thresholds of the individual Co and Cu thin films and the SiO₂/Si substrate have been measured for single-shot irradiation with a 200 femtosecond (fs) laser pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser operating at 775 nm. Ablation of the entire trilayer structure was characterized by a sequential removal of the layers at a threshold level of fluence of 0.28 J/cm². Atomic Force Microscopy, optical microscopy, profilometry and Sputtered Neutral Mass Spectroscopy were employed to characterize the laser-induced single-shot laser selective removal and patterned areas. As a result, two phenomena were found to characterize the laser process: (i) selective removal of the Co and Cu layer due to the change of the laser fluence and (ii) regular pillars’ area of Co/Cu/Co could be achieved in a regular manner with the lowest pillar width size of 1.5 μm. Ablation through the layers was accompanied by the formation of bulges at the edges of the pillars, which was the biggest inconvenience in lowering the pillar size through the femtosecond laser process.     

STM studies on the growth of monolayers: Co on Cu(110) with one half monolayer of preadsorbed oxygen

The growth of the first cobalt monolayer (ML) on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. Extensive exchange of Cu and Co atoms takes place in the first stages of the deposition. The displaced Cu atoms form new Cu---O---Co mixed islands, with the same structure as those of the terrace surface. At 0.25 ML Co, a new structure nucleates, which contains three Cu atoms, four Co atoms and two O atoms per 2×2 cell. The structure consists of rows in the [ 10] direction with an internal periodicity of two lattice units. The rows are separated from one another by two lattice units along the [001] direction, and are found both in-phase and out-of-phase relative to one another. The result is a mixed p(2×2) and c(2×4) surface. The fraction of the surface covered by the new structure increases with Co coverage, and completely covers the surface at 1 ML Co.     

Magnetoresistance in Co/AlOx/Co tunnel junction arrays

Lateral arrays of Co/AlO_x/Co junctions with dimensions down to 60 nm and inter-junction separations ∼60–100 nm have been fabricated and analyzed for possible coherent tunneling effects. Extra attention is paid to avoid uncertainties due to inconsistencies in switching and/or resistance of successive barriers. We observe ∼10% magnetoresistance enhancement at moderate bias in double junctions that cannot be accounted for by a simple model of two resistsors in series.     

Growth of Co nanoparticles on a nanostructured θ-Al2O3 film on CoAl(1 0 0)

We have investigated the growth of Co nanoparticles on θ-Al₂O₃/CoAl(1 0 0) by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Due to Volmer-Weber growth, Co forms particles with a mean diameter of approximately 2.5 nm and height of 0.8 nm. Even on the entirely covered oxide, there is no Ostwald ripening and Co particles stay structurally isolated. The nanoparticles exhibit a small size distribution and tend to form chains, as predetermined by the streak structure of the oxide template. For sufficient high coverages Co-core-CoO-shell nanoparticles may be evidenced, which is explained as a result of surfactant oxygen. The nanostructured particles may open the door to numerous applications, such as in catalysis and magnetoelectronic applications, where large areas of ordered nanodots are desired.     

Mg掺杂对Li(Co,Al)O2电子结构影响的第一原理研究

基于密度泛函理论的第一原理赝势法，研究了Mg在Li(Co，Al)O2中掺杂前后的电子结构的变化.通过能带和态密度的分析,发现Mg掺杂后在价带中引入了电子空穴，同时价带展宽，这两个电子结构的显著变化是引起Li(Co，Al)O2导电率提高的主要机理.通过对Co3d电子态密度的分析发现，在二价Mg掺杂后，Li(Co，Al)O2中的Co价态升高，介于Co3+和Co4+之间.从能带计算出发，进一步定量给出了Co和O的平均价态的变化. 关键词： Li(Co Al)O2 电子结构 第一原理 电导     

Investigation of Cu and Co multilayer deposition in aqueous ambient

Electrochemical preparation of multilayers of Cu/Co(Cu) has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry and in situ atomic force microscopy. Potentiostatic pulse deposition of Copper and Cobalt has been shown to reduce the surface roughness of the electrodeposits. Multilayers of Cu/Co(Cu) have been grown electrochemically using pulse deposition technique. Formation of coherent multilayers has been demonstrated using grazing angle X-ray diffraction studies.     

Bi surfactant effects of Co/Cu multilayered films prepared by sputter deposition

The influence of a Bi surfactant layer on the structural and magnetic properties of Co/Cu multilayers grown onto Cu(1 1 0) buffer layer by RF magnetron sputtering has been studied. The results of X-ray diffraction revealed the initial deposition of a 2.0 Å-thick Bi layer onto the Cu buffer layer prior to the deposition of the Co/Cu multilayer yielded high-quality fcc-(1 1 0) oriented epitaxial films. The X-ray photoelectron spectra revealed that Bi was segregated at around the top of the surface. Therefore, Bi was concluded to be an effective surfactant to enhance the epitaxial growth of Co/Cu(1 1 0) multilayer. The maximum giant magnetoresistance and antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling ratios of the Co/Cu multilayers were increased by using the Bi surfactant layer.