PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with the structure: substrate Si(100)/SiOx 47nm/ system of seed-buffer layers /IrMn 12nm/CoFe 15nm/AlOx, 1.4nm/NiFe 3nm/Ta 5nm were prepared with four different buffers: (a) Cu 25nm, (b) Ta 5nm/Cu 25nm, (c) Ta 5nm/Cu 25nm/Ta 5nm/Cu 5nm and (d) Ta 5nm/Cu 25nm/Ta 5nm/NiFe 2nm/Cu 5nm in order to enhance crystal texture of the MTJs. The annealed in vacuum at 275 degrees C junctions were characterized by XRD theta-2 theta-scans, rocking curve (omega-scans) and pole figures, in order to establish the correlation between texture and magnetic exchange bias coupling of IrMn/CoFe. The texture degree in the stack of MTJ depends on material, which was used for the buffer layers, and sequence of the layers. The strongest texture has been obtained if the seed layer of Ta was used (buffer (b)). The multilayer stack is textured in columnar-like fashion, which produces roughness. It was found, from the analysis of magnetic hysteresis loops and rocking curves of the CoFe layer, that the exchange bias and coercivity fields of CoFe pinned layer increase about two times in the case of using strong textured seed-buffer system (b). The design of seed-buffer layers allows to optimize the exchange bias coupling in magnetoelectronics devices.