Strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in an MgO/CoFeB/Pd unit structure with a thick CoFeB layer
- Authors
- Jung, J. H.; Lim, S. H.; Lee, S. R.
- Issue Date
- 1-Dec-2010
- Publisher
- AMER INST PHYSICS
- Citation
- JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, v.108, no.11
- Indexed
- SCIE
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
- Volume
- 108
- Number
- 11
- URI
- https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/115137
- DOI
- 10.1063/1.3516497
- ISSN
- 0021-8979
- Abstract
- A strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) is formed in an MgO/CoFeB/Pd unit structure for an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction. The most important factors for a strong PMA are the composition and the thickness of the CoFeB layer. A strong PMA is observed for the samples fabricated using the CoFeB target with a high Co/Fe ratio and annealed at 300 degrees C for 1 or 2 h. The PMA is formed up to a CoFeB layer thickness as thick as 2.5 nm, although the strongest PMA, with an out-of-plane coercivity of 1068 Oe and a PMA energy density of 2.7 X 10(6) erg/cc, is seen at a CoFeB thickness of 2.0 nm. The systematic study indicates that the PMA is attributed not to the interface effects but rather to the bulk effect of forming a Pd-rich, Co-Pd alloy, as confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile and x-ray diffraction experiments. The thick CoFeB layer is expected to reduce the template effect from the Pd layer during the annealing, and therefore increase the tunneling magnetoresistance of the MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3516497]
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