Young-Wan Oh

Interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in CoFeB/MgO structure with various underlayers

Interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in CoFeB/MgO structures was investigated and found to be critically relied on underlayer material and annealing temperature. With Ta or Hf underlayer, clear PMA is observed in as-deposited samples while no PMA was shown in those with Pt or Pd. This may be attributed to smaller saturation magnetization of the films with Ta or Hf underlayer, which makes the PMA of CoFeB/MgO interface dominates over demagnetization field. On the contrary, samples with Pt or Pd demonstrate PMA only after annealing, which might be due to the CoPt (or CoPd) alloy formation that enhances PMA.

Effect of sputtering pressure on stacking fault density and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of CoPt alloys

We report the effects of Ar sputtering pressure on perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in disordered CoPt alloys via the modulation of stacking fault density. The coercivity and anisotropy field of CoPt alloys are gradually enlarged with an increase in Ar sputtering pressure from 3 mTorr to 30 mTorr. Structural analyses using transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and x-ray reflectivity show that the structural properties of the samples, such as roughness or grain size, are not significantly changed by variations in Ar sputtering pressure. On the other hand, in-plane x-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the stacking fault density is reduced in films grown under higher pressure, and instead favors HCP stacking. Our results suggest that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in CoPt alloys can be enhanced by the growth of the sample under a high Ar sputtering pressure, which decreases stacking fault density.