• 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.10 no.5
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• pp.196-202
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• 2000

Top synthetic spin valves with structure Ta/NiFe/CoFe/Cu/CoFe(P1)/Ru/CoFe(P2)/FeMn/Ta on Si(100) substrate with natural oxide were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering system, and investigated on the magnetoresistance properties and effective exchange bias field. As the thickness of FeMn increased above 150 $\AA$, MR ratio was decreased due to the current shunting effect. As the thickness of free layer decreased below 40$\AA$, MR ratio was reduced rapidly. In case of 40 $\AA$ thick of free layer, spin valve film with a structure Si(100)/Ta(50 $\AA$)/NiFe(27 $\AA$)/CoFe(13 $\AA$)/Cu(26 $\AA$)/CoFe(30 $\AA$)/Ru(7 $\AA$)/CoFe(15 $\AA$)/FeMn(100 $\AA$)/Ta(50 $\AA$) exhibited maximum MR ratio of 7.5 % and an effective exchange bias field of 600 Oe, respectively. Thickness difference dependence in this synthetic spin valve structure on effective exchange field was investigated and interpreted by the analytical method. It should be noted that thickness increase of CoFe(P 1) and decrease of CoFe(P2) in synthetic antiferromagnet leaded to the decrease in effective exchange bias field by experimentally and analytically.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2006

Recent experiments have demonstrated high TMR ratios in MTJs with the MgO barrier [1,2]. The CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB junctions showed better properties than the CoFe/MgO/CoFe junctions because the MgO layer had a good crystalline structure with (001) texture and smooth and sharp interface between CoFeB/MgO [3]. The amorphous CoFeB with 20 at%B starts the crystallization at $340^{\circ}C$ [4] and this crystallization of the CoFeB helps obtaining the high TMR ratio. In this work, the compositional changes in the MgO barrier and at the interface of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB after the CoFeB crystallization were studied in annealed MTJs. XPS depth profiles were utilized. TEM analyses showed that the MgO barrier had (100) texture on CoFeB in the junctions. B in the bottom CoFeB layer diffused into the MgO barrier and B-oxide was formed at the interface of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB after the CoFeB crystallization.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.56-60
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• 1993

We have investigated the dependence of the magnetization, anisotropy, coercivity, and Kerr rotation on the Fe concentration in FeCo/Pd multilayer thin films, where the Fe concentration in the FeCo sublayer varied between 0 and 100% with maintaining the same sublayer thickness of $2.5\;{\AA}$ FeCo and $10.5\;{\AA}$A Pd. The maximum saturation magnetization was observed at the Fe concentration of about 48at.% in the FeCo sublayer. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and coercivity of the FeCo/Pd multilayer thin film decreased monotonically with increasing the Fe con-centration. The Kerr rotation angle also decreased with increasing the Fe concentration and the amount of vari-ation was remarkably changed with decreasing the light wavelength.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 1991

Laves phases of $NdFe_2$, $Nd{(Fe_{0.5})}_2$, $SmCo_2$ and $Sm{(Fe_{0.5}Co_{0.5})}_2$ stoichiometry were prepared using a rapid solidification technology. Low temperature magnetic properties show ferromagnetic behaviors for the $Nd{(Fe_{0.5}Co_{0.5})}_2$, $SmCo_2$ and $Sm{(Fe_{0.5}Co_{0.5})}_2$Nd(Feo,Coo,) Laves compounds while a sort of spin reorientation has been suggested for the supposed composition of $NdFe_2$ alloy. This rapidly solidified $NdFe_2$ alloy is believed to consist of metastable rhombohedral $NdFe_7$ phase plus fine particles of Nd-rich phase. Some evidence of phase transition from the mixture of unstable $NdFe_7$ compound plus Nd-rich to $Nd_2Fe_{17}$ plus Fe-Nd-O phase was obtained after annealing the $NdFe_2$, alloy. The pseudo-binary Laves compound, $Sm{(Fe_{0.5}Co_{0.5})}_2$ exhibits a high coercivityof 4 kOe at room temperature with Curie temperature of $400^{\circ}C$ while the $Nd{(Fe_{0.5}Co_{0.5})}_2$ compound shows a magnetic moment of $2.8\;{\mu}_B/f.u.$.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2010

The magnetostriction and stress of multilayer $NiFeCr/(Cu/Co_{90}Fe_{10}){\times}N/NiFeCr$ films were investigated. As the number of Cu $15{\AA}$/CoFe $15{\AA}$ bilayers was increased, the saturation magnetostriction decreased from $-5.6\times10^{-6}$ at 2 bilayers to $-8.5\times10^{-6}$ at 20 bilayers. A change of CoFe thickness from 10 to $20{\AA}$ caused a decrease in the magnitude of tensile stress from 980MPa to 590MPa as the number of Cu $15{\AA}$/CoFe $15{\AA}$ bilayers increased from 2 to 20. The maximum magnetostrictive anisotropy field that could be developed due to nonzero magnetostriction and stress is calculated to be 135.7 Oe when the number of Cu $15{\AA}$/CoFe $15{\AA}$ bilayers is 10.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.315-319
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• 2005

To obtain low switching field ($H_{SW}$) we introduced amorphous ferromagnetic $Co_{70.5}Fe_{4,5}Si_{15}B_{10}$ single and synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) free layers in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The switching characteristics for MTJs with structures $Si/SiO_2/Ta$ 45/Ru 9.5/IrMn 10/CoFe 7/AlOx/CoFeSiB 7 or CoFeSiB (t)/Ru 1.0/CoFeSiB (7-t)/Ru 60 (in nm) were investigated and compared to MTJs with $Co_{75}Fe_{25}$ and $Ni_{80}Fe_{20}$ free layers. CoFeSiB showed a lower saturation magnetization of $560 emu/cm^3$ and a higher anisotropy constant of $2800\;erg/cm^3$ than CoFe and NiFe, respectively. An exchange coupling energy ($J_{ex}$) of $-0.003erg/cm^2$ was observed by inserting a 1.0 nm Ru layer in between CoFeSiB layers. In the CoFeSiB single and SAF free layer MTJs, it was frond that the size dependence of the $H_{SW}$ originated from the lower $J_{ex}$ experimentally and by micromagnetic simulation based on the Landau-Lisfschitz-Gilbert equation. The CoFeSiB SAF structures showed lower $H_{SW}$ than that of NiFe, CoFe and CoFeSiB single structures. The CoFeSiB SAF structures were proved to be beneficial far the switching characteristics such as reducing the coercivity and increasing the sensitivity in micrometer to submicrometer-sized elements.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.210-219
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• 2000

The magnetoresistance characteristics of FeN/Co/Cu/Co and FeN/Co/Cu/Co/Cu/Co/FeN multilayers using ferromagnetic iron-nitrides (FeN) has been studied. The microstructure of FeN film is the mixed ${\alpha}$-Fe and $\varepsilon$-Fe$_3$N phase on the condition that the flow rate of N$_2$ gas is over 0.4 sccm. The magnetoresistance effect is observed because of shape magnetic anisotropy induced by needle-shaped $\varepsilon$-Fe$_3$N phase. This magnetoresistance effect changes, because the degree that the shape magnetic anisotropy adheres to the adjacent Co pinned layer is varied according to the flow rate of N$_2$ gas and the thickness of FeN film. The best magnetoresistance effect is obtained on the condition that the thickness of Co free layer is 70 ${\AA}$ and the maximum MR ratio(%) value of 3.2% shows in the FeN(250 ${\AA}$)/Co(70 ${\AA}$)/Cu(25 ${\AA}$)/Co(70 ${\AA}$)/Cu(25 ${\AA}$)/Co(70 ${\AA}$)/FeN(250 ${\AA}$) mutilayer film which is fabricated at the N, gas flow rate of 0.5 sccm and the FeN film thickness of 250 ${\AA}$. Four steps are observed in the magnetoresistance curve owing to this difference of coercive force, because respective magnetic layers in the multilayer possess different coercive forces. These effects observed in these mutilayer films can be expected to application to the memory device the same MRAM as can carry out simultaneously four signals.

• 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 Magnetics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.94-100
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• 2001

Fe-Co-Ni particles with an average size of 45 and 135 nm are characterized in terms of magnetic phase transformation and magnetic properties at room temperature. BCC structure of Fe-Co-Ni spherical particles can be synthesized from Fe-Co-Ni-Al-Cu precursor films by heating at 600-80$0^{\circ}C$ for the phase separation of Fe-Co rich Fe-Co-Ni particles, followed by a post heating at $600^{\circ}C$ for 5 hours. The average size of nanoparticles was directly determined by the thickness of precursor films. Exchange interactive hysteresis was observed for the nano-composite (Fe-Co-Ni)+(Fe-Ni-Al) films resulting from the short exchange interface between ferromagnetic Fe-Co-Ni particles surrounded by almost papramagnetic Ni-Al-Fe matrix. Arraying the isolated Fe-Co-Ni nano-particles in a random arrangement on $Al_2O_3$substrate the particle assembly showed a behavior of dipole interactive ferromagnetic clusters depending on their volume and inter-particle distance.