• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 1996

스퍼터링법으로 제조한 NiFeCo/Cu/NiFeCo/FeMn 스핀밸브 자성 다층막의 자기적 성질과 자기저항에 대해 연구하였다. Cu 사잇층 두께가 15 .angs. 인 경우 약 6%의 자기저항을 얻을 수 있었다. NiFeCo/FeMn에서 교환이방성 자계는 약 20 Oe 정도였는데, 이는 NiFe/FeMn 계 스핀밸브 구조에서 보고된 값(100 Oe 이상) 보다 현저히 작은 것이다. 3 mTorr에서 제조한 NiFeCo 박막은 약 10 Oe 정도의 큰 보자력을 보임으로써 비슷한 조건에서 제조한 NiFe 박막의 경우(약 2 Oe)보다 상당히 큰 값을 갖는 것으로 관찰되었다. 작은 교환이방성 자계와 큰 보자력으로 인해 음 .rarw. 양 방향과 양 .rarw. 음 방향의 자화거동에 있어서 비대칭적인 자기저항 이력곡선 거동을 보이는 것으로 나타났다.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.251-255
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• 1999

NiFe(60 $\AA$)/Co(0$\AA$$\leq$x$\AA$$\leq$15$\AA$)/Cu(60$\AA$)/Co(30$\AA$) spin valve thin films were prepared on 4$^{\circ}$ tilt-cut Si(111) substrates with a 50 $\AA$ thick Cu underlayer without applying any external magnetic field during the deposition, and the effects of inserted ultrathin Co layer on magnetic anisotropy and GMR properties of the NiFe(60 $\AA$)/Cu(60$\AA$)/Co(30$\AA$) spin valves were investigated. As the ultrathin Co layer was inserted into the NiFe/Cu interface of the spin valves, GMR ratio was increased from about 1.5% to 3.5%, and the easy axis of NiFe(60 $\AA$) layer was rotated by 90$^{\circ}$. Accordingly, it was aligned along the same direction with the easy axis of Co(30 $\AA$)layer. Therefore, squared R-H curves was obtained in the spin valves, which is favorable properties for the digital GMR devices such as MRAM. In order to investigate the change of magnetic anisotropy of NiFe layer of the spin valves in more details,XRD measurement was performed using NiFe(500 $\AA$) and NiFe(500 $\AA$)/Co(10 $\AA$) thin films on the same templates. Strong (220) NiFe peak was observed in both films regardless of the inserted Co layer, so it was thought that the variation of magnetic anisotropy of NiFe layer is from the interface effect, the change of interface from NiFe/Cu to NiFe/Co, rather than the volume effect such as the change of magnetocrystalline effect.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2002

It was observed that exchange bias field was increased with smooth surface and better ${\gamma}$-FeMn formation. Sputtering conditions were varied for the control of the surface roughness and ${\gamma}$-FeMn formation. From the results of Cu deposition as underlayer, it was found that ${\gamma}$-FeMn formation was closely related with the thickness of underlayer. After heat treatment, exchange bias field was increased over three times. This improvement was likely that the crystallites of ${\gamma}$-FeMn were well formed. In Co/Cu/Co/FeMn spin valve structure, magnetoresistance was increased over 1.4 times through the heat treatment. This was due to the disappearance of Co/Cu intermixed dead layer and removal of defect, and this was examined by AES analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.25-28
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• 2004

The dependence of sensitivity, MR ratio, coercivity (Hc) and switching fields as a function of thickness of each magnetic layers(Co, NiFe and Cu) were investigated in pseudo spin valves with a structure of Ta/NiFe/Cu/Co. As measured results dependence of the thickness of each magnetic layer, we obtained MR ratio of 7.26% for Ta(4 nm)/NiFe(7.5 nm)/Cu(3 nm)/Co(5 nm) pseudo spin valves. Also, we could control properties of magnetoresistance for independent magnetization courses of each magnetic layer. Especially, we found that we could control coercivity as constant MR ratio dependence of Co thickness.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.50-51
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• 1998

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.301-305
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• 1999

NiFe(60$\AA$)/Co(5$\AA$)/Cu(60$\AA$)/Co(30$\AA$) spin valve thin films were patterned into magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) cells by a conventional optical lithography process and their output and switching properties were characterized with respect to the cell size and geometry. When 1 mA of constant sense current was applied to the cells, a few or a few tens of mV of output voltage was measured within about 30 Oe of external magnetic field, which is an adequate output property for the commercializing of competitive MRAM devices. In order to resolve the problem of increase in the switching thresholds of magnetic layers with the downsizing of MRAM cells, a new approach using the controlled shape anisotropy was suggested and interpreted by a simple calculation of anisotropy energies of magnetic layers consisting of the cells. This concept gave a reduced switching threshold in NiFe(60$\AA$)/Co(5$\AA$) layer consisting of the patterned cells from about 15 Oe to 5 Oe and it was thought that this concept would be much helpful for the realization of competitive MRAM devices.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.212-217
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• 2002

The pseudo spin valve with a structure of Tl/CoFe(t $\AA$)/Cu(30 $\AA$)/NiFe(50 $\AA$)/Ta, showing giant magnetoresistance properties by utilizing coercivity difference between only two soft ferromagnetic layers were produced by d.c UHV magnetron sputtering system. In pseudo spin valve Ta/CoFe/Cu/NiFe/Ta, the magnetic and magnetoresistance properties with change of CoFe thickness were investigated. When the thickness of CoFe was 60 $\AA$, a typical MR curve of pseudo spin valve structure was obtained, showing MR ratio of 3.8 cio and the coercivity difference of 27.4 Oe with a sharp change of hard layer switching. When the CoFe thickness was varied from 20 to 100 $\AA$, coercivity difference between two layers was increased to 40 $\AA$. and decreased to 100 $\AA$ gradually. It is thought the change in coercivity of hard layer was due to the crystallinity and magnetostriction of thin CoFe layer. In order to improve the MR property in CoFe/Cu/NiFe trier layer structure, CoFe layer with change of 2-20 $\AA$ thick was inserted between Cu and NiFe. When the thickness of CoFe was 10 $\AA$, MR ratio was 6.7％, showing excellent MR property. This indicates 50 ％ higher than that of CoFe/Cu/NiFe pseudo spin valve.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2000.09a
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• pp.327-328
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• 2000

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.203-209
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• 2000

Top synthetic spin valves with structure Ta/NiFe/CoFe/Cu/CoFe(P 1)/Ru/CoFe(P2)/FeMn/Ta on Si (100) substrate with natural oxide were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering system. We have changed only the thickness in free layers and the thickness difference (Pl-P2) in two ferromagnetic layers separated by Ru, and investigated the effect of magnetic film thickness on interlayer coupling field in spin valve with synthetic antiferromagnet. According to the decrease of free layer thickness, interlayer coupling field was increased due to the magnetostatic coupling(orange peel coupling). In case of t$\_$P1/>t$\^$P2/, interlayer coupling field agreed well with the modified Neel model suggested in conventional spin valve structures by Kools et al. However, in case of t$\_$P1/>t$\^$P2/, it was found that the interlayer coupling field was not explained by the Modified Neel Model and was confirmed the necessity of further remodeling. The dependence of Cu thickness on the interlayer coupling field was investigated and 10 Oe of interlayer coupling field was obtained when the Cu thickness is 32 $\AA$.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.224-230
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• 1998

The relationships between R-H curves of gaint magnetoresistance (GMR) spin valve trilayer films and M-H curves of each magnetic layer consisting of the trilayer films were analyzed and simple formula representing the relations between the curves were suggested for theoretical analysis and study of magnetoresistance (MR) in those films, especially where the MR is from the difference of coercivity. Using two kinds of NiFe/Cu/Co films, which had been deposited on Cu(50 $\AA$)/Si(111, 4$^{\circ}$ tilt-cut) and Cu(50 $\AA$)/glass, R-H and M-H curves were measured and compared with the calculated ones, which were obtained by appying the M-H curves of single NiFe and Co films, deposited on the same substrates, to the previously reported single-domain and multi-domain models. The calcuated ones were well consistent with the measured ones and the suggested simple relationships between R-H and M-H curves are thought to be very useful for the deep understanding of MR behavior and the reasonable approach to improve MR properties in GMR spin valve trilayer films.