Multiple antiferromagnet/ferromagnet interfaces as a probe of grain-size-dependent exchange bias in polycrystalline Co/Fe50Mn50

We have used ferromagnet/antiferromagnet/ferromagnet trilayers and ferromagnet/antiferromagnet multilayers to probe the grain size dependence of exchange bias in polycrystalline Co/Fe₅₀Mn₅₀. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show that the Fe₅₀Mn₅₀ (FeMn) grain size increases with increasing FeMn thickness in the Co (30 Å)/FeMn system. Hence, in Co(30 Å)/FeMn(t_AF Å)/Co(30 Å) trilayers the two Co layers sample different FeMn grain sizes at the two antiferromagnet/ferromagnet interfaces. For FeMn thicknesses above 100 Å, where simple bilayers have a thickness-independent exchange bias, we are therefore able to deduce the influence of FeMn grain size on the exchange bias and coercivity (and their temperature dependence) simply by measuring trilayer and multilayer samples with varying FeMn thicknesses. This can be done while maintaining the (1 1 1) orientation, and with little variation in interface roughness. Increasing the average grain size from 90 to 135 Å results in a fourfold decrease in exchange bias, following an inverse grain size dependence. We interpret the results as being due to a decrease in uncompensated spin density with increasing antiferromagnet grain size, further evidence for the importance of defect-generated uncompensated spins.     

A study of the properties and microstructure of Ni81Fe19 ultrathin films with MgO

The anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of a Ta (5 nm)/MgO (3 nm)/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ (10 nm)/MgO (2 nm)/Ta (3 nm) film with MgO-Nano Oxide Layer (NOL) increases dramatically from 1.05% to 3.24% compared with a Ta (5 nm)/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ (10 nm)/Ta (3 nm) film without the MgO-NOL layer after annealing at 380 °C for 2 h. Although the MgO destroys the NiFe (1 1 1) texture, it enhances the specular electron scattering of the conduction electrons at the NOL interface and suppresses the interface reactions and diffusion at the Ta/NiFe and NiFe/Ta interfaces. The NiFe (1 1 1) texture was formed after the annealing, resulting in a higher AMR ratio. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope results show that Mg and Mg²⁺ were present in the MgO_x films.     

Inverse TMR in a nominally symmetric CoFe/AlOx/CoFe junction induced by interfacial Fe3O4 investigated by STEM-EELS

We have found inverse tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) with a non-symmetric bias voltage dependence in a nominally symmetric Si (001)/Ag/CoFe/AlO_x/CoFe/IrMn/Ag magnetic tunnel junction after field cooling. The O K edge fine structure extracted from electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum images taken at the interfaces of junctions with inverse TMR shows a thin, discontinuous Fe₃O₄ layer at the CoFe/AlO_x interfaces. The Fe L_2,3 edge core level shifts are also consistent with those of Fe₃O₄. We find no Fe₃O₄ layer in junctions with normal TMR. We believe this Fe₃O₄ layer is responsible for the inverse TMR.     

Antiferromagnet IrMn thickness dependence in exchange-biased perpendicular magnetic anisotropy based on CoFe/Pt/CoFe/[IrMn(tIrMn)] multilayers

The effect of the antiferromagnetic IrMn thickness upon the magnetic properties of CoFe/Pt/CoFe/[IrMn(t_IrMn)] multilayers is studied. An oscillatory interlayer coupling (IEC) has been shown in pinned CoFe/Pt(t_Pt)/CoFe/IrMn multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy. The period of oscillation corresponds to about 2 monolayers of Pt. The oscillatory behavior of IEC depends on the nonmagnetic metallic Pt thickness and is thought to be related to the antiferromagnetic ordering induced by the IrMn layer. From the extraordinary Hall voltage amplitude (EHA) curves as function of IrMn thickness, we report that the oscillation dependence of IEC for the [CoFe/Pt/CoFe] multilayer system induced by IrMn with spacer-layer thickness is a important features of perpendicular exchange biased system.     

Exchange bias in (1 1 0)-orientated Bi0.9La0.1FeO3/La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 films

We performed a systematic study on the exchange bias in (1 1 0)-orientated Bi_0.9La_0.1FeO₃/La_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ (BLFO/LCMO) heterostructure with a fixed BLFO film thickness of 600 nm and different LCMO layers ranging from t=0 to 30 nm. The LCMO is found to be weakly ferromagnetic, with the Curie temperature descending from ∼225 K to 0 as the layer thickness decreases from 30 nm to 3 nm. The main magnetic contributions come from the BLFO film, and the areal magnetization ratio is 1:0.07 for t=5 nm and 1:0.82 for t=30 nm for BLFO to LCMO at the temperature of 5 K. Further experiments show the presence of significant exchange bias, and it is, at the temperature of 10 K, ∼40 Oe for t=0 and ∼260 Oe for t=30 nm. The exchange bias reduces dramatically upon warming and disappears above the blocking temperature of the spin-glasslike behavior observed in the samples. The possible origin for exchange bias is discussed.     

Annealing effect of NiO/Co90Fe10 thin films: From bilayer to nanocomposite

Exchange-biased bilayers are widely used in the pinned layers of spintronic devices. While magnetic field annealing (MFA) was routinely engaged during the fabrication of these devices, the annealing effect of NiO/CoFe bilayers is not yet reported. In this paper, the transition from NiO/Co₉₀Fe₁₀ bilayer to nanocomposite single layer was observed through rapid thermal annealing at different temperatures under magnetic field. The as-deposited and low-temperature (<623 K) annealed samples had rock salt (NiO) and face center cubic (Co₉₀Fe₁₀) structures. On the other hand, annealing at 623 K and 673 K resulted in nanocomposite single layers composed of oxides (matrix) and alloys (precipitate), due to grain boundary oxidization and strong interdiffusion in the NiO/CoFe and CoFe/SiO₂ interfaces. The structural transition was accompanied by the reduction of grain sizes, re-ordering of crystallites, incensement of roughness, and reduction of Ni²⁺. When measured at room temperature, the bilayers exhibited soft magnetism with small room-temperature coercivity. The nanocomposite layers exhibited an enhanced coercivity due to the changes in the magnetization reversal mechanism by pinning from the oxides. At 10 K, the increased antiferromagnetic anisotropy in the NiO resulted in enhanced coercivity and exchange bias in the bilayers. The nanocomposites exhibited weaker exchange bias compared with the bilayers due to frustrated interfacial spins. This investigation on how the magnetic properties of exchange-biased bilayers are influenced by magnetic RTA provides insights into controlling the magnetization reversal properties of thin films.     

Magnetic,structural and electrical properties of ordered and disordered Co50Fe50 films

Co₅₀Fe₅₀ films with thickness varying from 100 to 500 Å were deposited on a glass substrate by sputtering process, respectively. Two kinds of CoFe films were studied: one was the as-deposited film, and the other the annealed film. The annealing procedure was to keep the films at 400 °C for 5 h in a vacuum of 5×10⁻⁶ mbar. From the X-ray study, we find that the as-deposited film prefers the CoFe(1 1 0) orientation. Moreover, the body-centered cubic (bcc) CoFe(1 1 0) line is split into two peaks: one corresponding to the ordered body-centered tetragonal (bct) phase, and the other, the disordered bcc phase. After annealing, the peak intensity of the ordered bct phase becomes much stronger, while that of the disordered bcc phase disappears. The annealing has also caused the ordered CoFe(2 0 0) line to appear. When the amount of the ordered bct phase in Co₅₀Fe₅₀ is increased, the saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercivity (H_c) become larger, but the electrical resistivity (ρ) decreases. From the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) measurement, we learn that the bct grains in the CoFe film start to grow at temperature 82 °C.     

Effects of controlling Cu spacer inter-diffusion by diffusion barriers on the magnetic and electrical stability of GMR spin-valve devices

An ultra-thin Co or CoFe diffusion barrier inserted at the NiFe/Cu interfaces was revealed to effectively control the electrical and magnetic stability of NiFe/Cu/NiFe-based giant magnetoresistance (GMR) spin-valve spintronics devices (SVSDs) operating at high current density. It was found that the activation energy, E_a, related to the electromigration (EM)-induced inter-diffusion process for the patterned NiFe(3)/Cu(2)/NiFe(3 nm) magnetic multi-layered devices (MMLD) was remarkably increased from 0.52±0.2 eV to 1.17±0.16 eV after the insertion of an ultra-thin Co diffusion barrier at the NiFe/Cu interfaces. The dramatically reduced “current shunting paths” from the Cu spacer to the NiFe thin films and the development of “self-healing process” resulted from the effectively restrained Cu inter-diffusion (intermixing with Ni atoms) due to the diffusion barriers were found to be primarily responsible for the improvement of electrical and magnetic stability. The further investigation on the effects of controlling Cu spacer inter-diffusion by diffusion barriers on the EM and thermomigration (TM)-induced magnetic degradation was carried out for the NiFe/(Co or Co₉₀Fe₁₀)/Cu/(Co or Co₉₀Fe₁₀)/NiFe/FeMn top exchange-biased GMR (EBGMR) SVSDs electrically stressed under the applied DC current density of J=2.5×10⁷ A/cm² (I=16.5∼17.25 mA). It was clearly confirmed that the Co and the CoFe diffusion barriers effectively control the Cu spacer inter-diffusion resulting in a smaller reduction in both GMR ratio and exchange bias field of the EBGMR SVSDs. Furthermore, it was obviously observed that the effects of CoFe diffusion barrier on controlling the Cu spacer inter-diffusion are more significant than that of Co. The effectively reduced Mn atomic inter-diffusion at the NiFe/FeMn interface and the well-maintained interfacial spin-dependent scattering resulted from the control of EM and TM-induced Cu spacer inter-diffusion were the main physical reasons for the significant improvement of magnetic and electrical degradation of top EBGMR SVSDs.     

Magnetic exchange bias enhancement through seed layer variation in FeMn/NiFe layered structures

The exchange bias and crystalline texture of the multilayer structure (Ta/Al/seed/Fe₅₀Mn₅₀/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Al₂O₃/Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Al/Ta with seed=Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ or Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Cu) has been characterized. Measurements indicate an abrupt decrease in exchange bias of the Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ pinned layer for samples with very thin seed layers, and exchange bias as high as 325 Oe for thicker seed layers. Fluctuation of exchange bias with thickness was greatly reduced for the Ni₈₁Fe₁₉/Cu seed configuration. X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrate a correlation between exchange bias and strong (1 1 1) texture of FeMn. The results suggest a high sensitivity of Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ roughness and texture on deposition conditions, and corroborate previous observations of roughness in ultrathin NiFe films.     

Tunneling magnetoresistance in exchange-biased CoFeB/AlOx/Co/IrMn junctions

A series of exchange-biased magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) were made in an in-plane deposition field (h) = 500 Oe. The deposition sequence was Si(1 0 0)/Ta(30 Å)/CoFeB(75 Å)/AlO_x(d Å)/Co(75 Å)/IrMn(90 Å)/Ta(100 Å), where d was varied from 12 Å to 30 Å. The MTJ was formed by the cross-strip method with a junction area of 0.0225 mm². The tunneling magnetoresistance (ΔR/R) of each MTJ was measured. The high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopic (HR X-TEM) image shows the very smooth interface and clear microstructure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrates that the IrMn layer of the MTJ exhibits a (1 1 1) texture. From the results (ΔR/R) increases from 17% to 50%, as d increases from 12 Å to 30 Å. The tunneling resistance (R_o) of these junctions ranges from 150 Ω to 250 Ω. The exchange-biasing field (H_ex) of the MTJ is 50-95 Oe. Finally, the saturation resistance (R_s) was measured as a function of the angle (α) of rotation, where α is the angle between h and the in-plane saturation field (H_s) = 1.1 kOe. The following figure presents the dependence of R_s on α, instead of originally expected independence, the curve actually varies with a period of π.     

On the comparison of the polarisation behaviour of exchange-biased AF/F NiMn/Fe37Co48Hf15 bi-layer and multi-layer films with increased ferromagnetic cut-off frequencies

Antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic (AF/F) NiMn/Fe₃₇Co₄₈Hf₁₅ films were investigated with respect to their exchange bias, in-plane unidirectional anisotropy, polarisation and high frequency behaviour. After deposition, carried out by r.f. magnetron sputtering, the films were post-annealed for 4 h at 300 °C in a static magnetic field, in order to induce exchange-bias, which results in a unidirectional anisotropy. Dependent on the presence of a bi-layer or multi-layer sandwich structure the films show a different exchange-bias field-ferromagnetic inter-layer thickness behaviour with exchange-bias fields μ₀?H_eb between 2 and 10 mT. The in-plane uniaxial (single film) or unidirectional anisotropy fields μ₀*H_UF were between 4 and 18 mT. This results in a significant increase of the cut-off frequency in the GHz range in comparison to a single Fe₃₇Co₄₈Hf₁₅ film, which is shown by frequency-dependent permeability plots. High damping in the imaginary part of the permeability, i.e., high resonance line broadening could be observed for films with high coercivity μ₀*H_c of around 7 mT in the easy axis of magnetisation.     

Synthetic Co50Pt50/Ru/CoFe hard–soft trilayer in spin valves

The influence of deposition power and seedlayer on the properties of hard magnet Co₅₀Pt₅₀ was studied. Co₅₀Pt₅₀(/Co₉₀Fe₁₀)/Ru/Co₉₀Fe₁₀ trilayer was used as pining/pinned layer in spin valves. The influences of different hard layer, soft layer and free layer on exchange bias, interlayer coupling, and magnetoresistance (MR) ratio were studied. Weak antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling was obtained by adjusting the thickness of hard and soft layers. MR of a spin valve with structure Cr2/CoFe0.5/CoPt4/CoFe0.5/Ru0.8/CoFe2.2/Cu2.05/CoFe2.6/Cu1.1/Ta1 reached 10.68% (unit in nm), which is comparable to those of IrMn-based synthetic spin valves. The increment of the coercivity of the free layer is mainly due to the static magnetic interaction between the hard layer and the free layer.     

Magnetoelectric characterization of xNi0.75Co0.25Fe2O4-(1−x)BiFeO3 nanocomposites

Magnetoelectric (ME) nanocomposites containing Ni_0.75Co_0.25Fe₂O₄-BiFeO₃ phases were prepared by citrate sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed phase formation of xNi_0.75Co_0.25Fe₂O₄-(1−x)BiFeO₃ (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) composites on heating at 700 °C. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of powders of nano order size and the crystal size was found to vary from 30 to 85 nm. Dispersion in dielectric constant (ε) and dielectric loss (tan δ) in the low-frequency range have been observed. It is seen that nanocomposites exhibit strong magnetic properties and a large ME effect. On increasing Ni_0.75Co_0.25Fe₂O₄ contents in the nanocomposites, the saturation magnetization (M_S) and coercivity (H_C) increased after annealing at 700 °C. The large ME output in the nanocomposites exhibits strong dependence on magnetic bias and magnetic field frequency. The large value of ME output can be attributed to small grain size of ferrite phase of nanocomposite being prepared by citrate precursor process.     

MFM studies of magnetic domain patterns in bulk barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) single crystals

Magnetic domain patterns in bulk barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉; BaM) single crystals on the basal plane and the prism plane were measured and studied by magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The surface domain pattern is in the form of flowers or star on the basal plane and long elongated spikes or stripe domains on the prism plane. The change in domain structure with applied field (H_app) and the thickness (T) dependence on domain width (δ) was observed. The domain width decreased from 32 to 9 μm for the crystals of 800-100 μm thicknesses, respectively.     

Microstructural and magnetic characteristics of IrMn exchange-biased tunnel junctions

Tunneling magnetoresistance values above 20% and 40% were obtained for as-deposited and annealed tunnel junctions, Ta/NiFe/Cu/NiFe/IrMn/CoFe/Al-oxide/CoFe/NiFe/Ta, respectively. Exchange biasing field increased from 270 to 550 Oe after annealing resulting from sharpening of the IrMn/CoFe interface. dV/dI vs. V curves showed asymmetric profiles, which were due to asymmetry of the CoFe/Al-oxide interfaces and difference in microstructure of the CoFe layers.     

Positive exchange bias in a Ni80Fe20/NixFe1−xO thin-film bilayer

We have measured positive exchange bias in a Ni₈₀Fe₂₀/Ni_xFe_1−xO thin-film nanocrystallite system. A series of solid solution Ni_xFe_1−xO 40 nm thick films capped with 25 nm thick Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ were deposited using a range of %O₂/Ar bombardment energies (i.e. End-Hall voltages). Proper tuning of the deposition conditions results in a Ni₈₀Fe₂₀/Ni_xFe_1−xO (30%O₂/Ar) based bilayer that exhibits a positive exchange bias loop shift of H_ex∼60 Oe at 150 K.     

Dual behaviors of magnetic CoxFe1−x (0≤x≤1) nanowires embedded in nanoporous with different diameters

Co_xFe_1−x nanowire arrays with various diameters and different composition were fabricated by ac electrodeposition using porous alumina template. Coercivity along the easy axis reaches to a maximum at 2330 Oe, for Co_xFe_1−x nanowires containing about 40 at% Co. The crystalline structure of the nanowires was concentration-independent and shows a bcc structure. The critical diameter for transition from coherent rotation to curling mode is 35 nm for CoFe containing less than 40 at% Co while it is 30 nm for those with more than 40 at% Co. Optimizing the magnetic properties of CoFe with different Co content was seen to be dependent on the diameter of nanowires. For 25 nm diameter, the optimum was shown below 50 at% Co while it was seen above 50 at% for nanowires with 50 nm diameter. The angular dependence of the coercivity with nanowires diameter were also studied.     

The exchange bias in MnPd/Co1−xFex bilayers

A systematic study of exchange bias in MnPd/Co and MnPd/Co_1−xFe_x bilayers has been carried out. Very large unidirectional anisotropy constant of 2.2 erg/cm² and the appearance of double-shifted loops, ascribed to the coexistence of positive and negative exchange bias, have been observed. The dependence of exchange bias, unidirectional anisotropy constant and coercivity on thickness, temperature, annealing regime and Fe content has been investigated and discussed.     

Structure, magnetic and electrical transport properties of cosputtered Fe0.5Ge0.5 nanocomposite films

Fe_0.5Ge_0.5 nanocomposite films with different film thicknesses were fabricated using cosputtering. The films are composed of Ge, Fe and Fe₃Ge₂, and are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The saturation magnetization and magnetic interaction including dipolar interaction and exchange coupling increase with the increasing film thickness. The electrical conductance mechanism turns from metallic to semiconducting and the saturation Hall resistivity ρ_xys increases with the decreasing film thickness. At 28 nm, ρ_xys is ∼137 μΩ cm at 2 K, about 150 times larger than that of pure Fe film (0.9 μΩ cm) and four orders larger than that of bulk Fe. The ρ_xy-H curves of all the films show the same linearity character in low-field range even though the temperature-independent slope is different at different film thicknesses. At high temperatures, the skew scattering mechanism is dominant. At low temperatures, side-jump effect should be dominant at large resistivity ρ_xx regime for the thin films, and the skew scattering is dominant at small ρ_xx regime for the thick films.     

Electron scattering characteristics of polycrystalline metal transition films by in-situ electrical resistance measurements

In-situ electrical resistance measurements were performed to obtain the scattering characteristics of very thin polycrystalline metal transition magnetic alloys grown by ion beam deposition (IBD) on specific underlayers. The experimental curves show size effects at small film thicknesses and important differences between Co₈₅Fe₁₅ and Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ thin layers grown on identical underlayers of Ta70 Å/Ru13 Å. The largest difference was observed in Ni₈₁Fe₁₉ films grown on underlayers of amorphous Ta70 Å. The experimental curves of electrical resistivity/conductivity variation with layer thickness were well fit within the Mayadas and Shatzkes (M-S) model, assuming specific formulations for grain growth with layer thickness.