Large magnetothermoelectric power in Co/Cu, Fe/Cu and Fe/Cr multilayers

We report and discuss experimental data on the thermoelectric power of magnetic multilayers. Measurements of the thermoelectric power of Fe/Cr, Co/Cu and Fe/Cu multilayers have been carried out in the temperature range 4K < T < 150 K magnetic fields perpendicular to the layers. All specimens were found to exhibit pronounced magnetothermoelectric power (MTEP) effects correlating with their giant negative magnetoresistance. The main difference between the MTEP and the magnetoresistance is in their temperature dependence. Whereas the magnetoresistance is a decreasing function of temperature, the MTEP, at least in Co/Cu and Fe/Cu multilayers, is very small at low temperature and increases rapidly above 30–40 K. We ascribe this high temperature part of the MTEP to spin-dependent electron-magnon scattering and we propose a theoretical model.     

Interactive effect of impurities on giant magnetoresistance of Co–Fe/Cu multilayers

Giant magnetoresistance of Co–Fe–B/Cu multilayers fabricated in the sputtering atmosphere, where the amount of oxygen impurity is varied, is discussed in connection with their interfacial roughness. The magnetoresistance (MR) ratio of Co–Fe/Cu multilayers is enhanced by up to 33% when the oxygen content is varied between 10 and 100 ppm of processing Ar gas. The enhancement of the MR ratio was due to the flattening effect of impurity oxygen on the multilayer interfaces: the root mean square roughness of the multilayer was decreased from 7.5 to 5 Å. With increasing boron content in Co–Fe layers, however, the enhancing effect of MR ratio by oxygen diminished and nearly vanished for 12 at%-B–(Co–Fe) case. The strong affinity of boron for oxygen is suggested as a probable mechanism.     

Very strong interlayer exchange coupling in epitaxial Fe/Fe1−xSix/Fe trilayers (x=0.4–1.0)

Fe/Fe_1−xSi_x/Fe (x=0.4–1.0) wedge-type epitaxial trilayers with improved homogeneity are grown by co-evaporation from two electron-beam sources. The coupling strengths of the bilinear (J₁) and biquadratic (J₂) coupling terms are derived from Brillouin light scattering (BLS) spectra and longitudinal MOKE hysteresis loops. The total coupling strength J=J₁+J₂ increases dramatically with increasing x and reaches values in excess of 6 mJ/m².     

Coupled perpendicular magnetization in Fe/Cu/Fe trilayers

Ultrathin epitaxial Fe films on Cu(1 0 0) with perpendicular magnetization have been used as templates for the preparation of FCC Fe/Cu/Fe trilayers. The magnetic anisotropy and the coupling of these films have been studied by in-situ magneto optical Kerr effect measurements and Kerr microscopy. The magnetic coupling of both Fe layers is found to be dominated by magnetostatic interaction. Adsorbate-induced spin reorientation in the top layer also causes spin reorientation in the bottom layer. The governing role of the Fe-vacuum interface for the magnetism of the whole trilayer is demonstrated.     

Kinetic interface roughening and magneto resistance of sputter-deposited Fe/Ni75B25 multilayers

The roughening of interfaces as a function of layer thickness and magneto transport properties have been investigated on sputter-deposited Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ multilayer films. X-ray reflectivity data were recorded for Ni₇₅B₂₅(72 nm) film and for [Fe(2 nm)/Ni₇₅B₂₅(2 nm)]₁₆ and [Fe(4 nm)/Ni₇₅B₂₅(4 nm)]₈ multilayer films. A power law dependence of the interfacial width of growing Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ interfaces was observed. The resulting growth exponents β were found to be in the range of 0.55–0.58 in the initial growth stage of the multilayer with lower Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ repetition thickness and at approximately 0.34 for multilayer with higher repetition thickness. The growth exponents were compared with theoretical calculations. High resolution electron microscopy revealed the columnar growth of the Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ multilayer. Additionally, an increase of magnetoresistance was observed by the multilayering of Ni₇₅B₂₅ films with Fe interlayers.     

Structure of sputter-deposited Pt/Fe and Cr/Fe multilayers

Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to investigate the structure of Pt/Fe and Cr/Fe multilayers deposited by magnetron sputtering. The Cr/Fe samples consisted of four samples prepared under Ar sputtering pressures of 1.3, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mT, all with the same multilayer structure of 3.5 nm Cr/2.5 nm Fe, repeated 35 times onto c-Si wafer substrates. The quality of the interfaces between Cr and Fe is clearly degraded with increasing sputter pressure, as seen by changes in the relative intensities of four magnetic subspectra in the CEMS and the gradual appearance of a single-line resonance similar to Fe in solution in Cr. The low-angle XRD superlattice peaks also disappear with increasing sputter pressure, while the high-angle XRD shows a tendency for loss of the preferred (110) texture. Two films of Pt/Fe were deposited epitaxially onto MgO single crystals with bilayer periods of 1.3 nm and 2.6 nm and total thickness of 300 nm each. A transition from fcc-PtFe with near-perpendicular magnetic anisotropy to a bcc-Fe/fcc-PtFe mixture with in-plane magnetic texture is observed by CEMS for the factor of two increase in bilayer period.     

Polarized neutron reflectometry of the influence of Fe/Si,Fe/FeSi2 and Au/Fe interfaces on the magnetic properties of epitaxial Fe films

The magnetic and structural properties of epitaxial Fe films grown on Si(1 1 1) are investigated by polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) at room temperature. The influence of different types of interfaces, Fe/Si, Fe/FeSi₂ and Au/Fe on the magnetic properties of Fe films deposited by molecular beam epitaxy onto Si(1 1 1) are characterized. We observe a drastic reduction of the magnetic moment in the entire Fe film deposited directly on the silicon substrate essentially due to strong Si interdiffusion throughout the whole Fe layer thickness. The use of a silicide FeSi₂ template layer stops the interdiffusion and the value of the magnetic moment of the deposited Fe layer is close to its bulk value. We also evidence the asymmetric nature of the interfaces, Si/Fe and Fe/Si interfaces are magnetically very different. Finally, we show that the use of Au leads to an enhancement of the magnetization at the interface.     

Pd/Fe和PdFe/Fe多层膜中的振荡行为

采用磁控溅射法制备了Pd/Fe和Pd_1-xFe_x/Fe多层膜.利用变换梯度磁强计测量了样品的M_s.发现层间耦合是铁磁性的,M_s具有长程振荡,周期为4ML.振荡的相位和周期在Pd_0.966Fe_0.034/Fe和Fd_0.944Fe_0.056/Fe系统中保持不变.就Pd/Fe多层膜中是否存在内层的Pd负极化和长程的铁磁耦合振荡进行了讨论,并分析了不同计算结果以及理论计算与实验结果之间存在差异的原因. 关键词：     

The effect of a nonmagnetic Zr layer on the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of Fe/Zr and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems

The magnetic and magneto-optical properties of nanocrystalline Fe/Zr and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems have been studied using the magneto-optical method. The strong effect of Zr layer thickness t _Zr on the magnetic properties of Fe/Zr samples was discovered. It was found that the value of the saturation field of the Fe/Zr/Fe systems oscillates as a function of t _Zr, which is explained by the oscillating character of the exchange interaction between ferromagnetic layers via a Zr spacer with the change in t _Zr. It was established that the values of the transverse Kerr effect depend on the thicknesses of both magnetic and nonmagnetic layers.     

Microwave switching behaviors of Fe/Ag/Fe/Ag epitaxial films

In this study, Fe/Ag/Fe/Ag ferromagnetic structures were epitaxially grown on a GaAs(1 0 0) substrate. Using the Network Analyzer (Agilent 8510C), FMR (ferromagnetic resonant) signals were observed in samples as the in-plane magnetic field was applied to either hard- or easy-axes. Of interest was that our sample demonstrated a FMR-switching behavior in hard-axis but not in easy-axis. The detecting data showed that the switch magnetic field was much smaller than what has been stated previously in Fe/Cu/Fe systems by other laboratories. In addition to the frequency switch in FMR, we also observed a magnetic reversal behavior in its M–H curve. Data presented that both of the FMR and magnetic reverse took place in the same direction (hard-axis).     

Magnetism and structure of hexagonal Fe in Fe/Ru superlattices

Mössbauer spectroscopy is applied to study the magnetism and the local structure of Fe/Ru superlattices. Fe Layers show hcp structure, isomorphous with Ru. A well-defined symmetry is observed at Fe sites, withV _zz along thec axis. The Fe/Ru interfaces are non-magnetic over the two first layers, but a large moment (2μ_B/Fe) exists beyond. Magnetic coupling between neighbouring Fe Layers is observed at small spacing, i.e. for Ru thickness lower than 13 Å typically.     

Magnetic properties of Fe/Si/Fe trilayer films

The magnetization of Fe/Si/Fe trilayer films is experimentally investigated at low temperatures. It is found that the shape of the magnetization curves measured at T<30 K depends on the thermomagnetic state of the system. The possible mechanisms of the interaction between iron layers are discussed.     

Effects of disorder on tunnel magnetoresistance in Fe/MgO/Fe junctions

Effects of lattice distortion and oxygen vacancy on tunnel magnetoresistance in Fe/MgO/Fe junctions are theoretically investigated. By treating the distortion in MgO as the random potential and performing numerical simulations based on the Kubo–Landauer formula, it is shown that the magnetoresistance ratio decreases with increasing randomness. Moreover, first-principles calculations within the density functional theory show that the defect states in the Fe/MgO cluster containing an oxygen vacancy induce no significant shift in the Fermi level.     

57Fe Mössbauer study of Fe/Bi multilayers

Fe/Bi artificially structured films (ASF's) have been prepared by alternate depositions of Fe and Bi in an ultrahigh vacuum. X-ray diffraction measurements in the small angle range confirmed the formation of periodic structures in all the samples prepared on glass substrates cooled down to about 125K. the CEMS at room temperature indicated that the samples are ferromagnetic except the one with 2Å-thick Fe layers. The CEM spectra also indicated that the structure of Fe layers is amorphous when the Fe layer thicknesses are less than 15Å. Magnetization measurement and CEM spectrum at 6K show that Fe monolayers in the Fe/Bi ASF are ferromagnetic.     

Proximity effect in Fe/Pb/Fe trilayers

We have studied superconducting and magnetic properties of sputtered Fe/Pb/Fe-trilayers. For a fixed Pb thickness and with changing Fe thickness, , a monotonic decrease of the superconducting transition temperature was observed. Magnetization measurements clearly showed that Fe remains ferromagnetic down to the monolayer range. A quantitative comparison of with the theory of pair breaking by the exchange field reveals that the observed -suppression by the ferromagnetic Fe-layer is much weaker than expected. Possible reasons for the reduced -suppression in this system are discussed. Received: 30 June 1997 / Revised: 20 August 1997 / Accepted: 16 December 1997     

Magnetic and magnetooptical properties of Fe/Pt and Fe/Pt/Fe thin-film magnetic structures

Results of a study of magnetic and magnetooptical properties of Fe/Pt double-layer and Fe/Pt/Fe three-layer thin-film magnetic structures are presented. A strong effect of the Pt layer on magnetic properties of the studied samples was revealed. It was established that the saturation field of three-layer magnetic structures has an oscillating magnitude with varying Pt layer thickness, and the oscillation period is a function of the Fe layer thickness. The data obtained are explained by the presence of exchange interaction between the Fe layers via the Pt layer. A strong effect of Pt on spectral dependences of the equatorial Kerr effect in the thin-film structures under study is revealed.     

Oscillations of the Critical Temperature in a (Fe/Cr/Fe)/V/Fe Heterostructure

The superconducting and magnetic properties of the (Fe/Cr/Fe)/V/Fe layered system with variable thickness of the chromium layer have been experimentally and theoretically studied. The magnetic properties of the system have been studied by the ferromagnetic resonance method, and the superconducting transition temperature has been measured from the jump in the magnetic susceptibility. A wide variety of magnetic states are observed in the system; in particular, the structure of small domains can arise in the iron layer placed between vanadium and chromium. It has been shown experimentally that the critical temperature T_c of the superconducting transition undergoes nonmonotonic oscillations with a noticeable amplitude in the given system with the change in the thickness of the Cr layer. The proposed model based on the proximity effect theory makes it possible to relate these T_c oscillations to the features of the magnetic structure of the samples.     

Magnetic Properties of Fe/Ni and Fe/Co Multilayer Thin Films

In this work, the magnetic and transport properties of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co multilayers grown on Si/SiO₂ substrates have been studied. The samples have been prepared by two-stage deposition process. In the first stage, Fe layer and SiO₂ interlayer of both samples are grown by ion beam deposition technique at room temperature. Then the samples are taken out to ambient atmosphere and loaded into a pulse laser deposition (PLD) chamber. Prior to the deposition of top layer, the samples are cleaned by annealing at 150 °C. In the second stage, Ni (or Co) layer is prepared by PLD technique at room temperature. The thickness of deposited layers has been measured by Rutherford back scattering (RBS). Magnetic properties of ferromagnetic bilayers have been investigated by room-temperature ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. Standard four-point magneto-transport measurements at various temperatures have been performed. Two-step switching in the in-plane hysteresis loops of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co samples is observed. A crossing in the middle of hysteresis loops of both samples points to a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the magnetic layers of the stacks. Saturation magnetization values have been obtained from the VSM measurements of samples with DC magnetic field perpendicular to the films surface. Magneto-transport measurements have shown the predominant contribution of anisotropic magnetic resistance both at room and low temperatures. FMR studies of Fe/SiO₂/Ni and Fe/SiO₂/Co samples have revealed additional non-uniform (surface and bulk SWR) modes, which behavior has been explained in the framework of the surface inhomogeneity model. An origin of the antiferromagnetic interaction has been discussed.     

Electric and thermo spin transfer torques in Fe/Vacuum/Fe tunnel junction

We present first-principle calculations of electric and thermo spin transfer torques (STT) in Fe/Vacuum(Vac)/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Our quantitative studies demonstrate rich bias dependence of STT and tunnel magneto resistance (TMR) behaviors with respect to the interface roughness. Thermoelectric effects in Fe/Vac/Fe MTJs is remarkable. We observe larger ZT of 6.2 in 8 ML clean Vacuum barrier, where the heavily restrained thermal conductance should be responsible for. Thermo-STT in Fe/Vac/Fe MTJs show same order as that in Fe/MgO/Fe MTJs with similar barrier thickness.     

NiO-thickness dependent magnetic anisotropies in Fe/NiO/Au(001) and Fe/NiO/MgO(001) systems

The in-plane magnetic anisotropy of Fe/NiO bilayers was studied quantitatively as a function of NiO thickness using the magneto-optical Kerr effect with a rotating field. For NiO thicker than the ordering transition thickness, the total in-plane fourfold anisotropy of the Fe layer decreases with NiO thickness in Fe/NiO/Au(001), but increases in Fe/NiO/MgO(001). Our result indicates that the exchange coupling in an Fe/NiO bilayer might induce an additional in-plane fourfold anisotropy, and the opposite thickness dependent behaviors may be attributed to the different Ni²⁺ antiferromagnetic spin orientations for NiO films grown on Au(001) and MgO(001) surfaces.