• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.645-650
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• 1997

We manufactured CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr multi-layer films by rf magnetron sputtering methods and formed the patterns on the deposited multi-layer films. In this study, we fabricated a new etchant for forming the patterns by the wet etching with etchant and we searched for the best etching conditions and the etchant composition. Cu was etched selectively independent on the concentration of iron chloride solution, but amorphous CoNbZr thin film did not. The etchant was achieved by iron chloride solution(17.5 mol%) mixed with HF (20 mol%) during 150 sec, which etched CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr multi-layer films at the same time. Also, the etchant etched CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr multi-layer films by the three-step. It was shown that the cross-section had the isotropic structure and excellent etching characteristics with the above etchant.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.141-145
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• 1997

스퍼터링법으로 제조한 CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr 다층막에 대해 습식 식각법으로 패턴을 형성하기 위해 새로운 식각 용액을 제조하여 이 용액의 최적의 식각 조건에 대해 연구하였다. 염기성 수용액은 농도에 관계없이 Cu만을 선택적으로 식각하며 CoNbZr 비정질 박막은 식각하지 않았다. 그러나, 본 연구에서 제조 한 17.5 mol%의 염기성 수용액에 HF를 20 mol% 혼합한 식각 용액으로 CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr 다층막을 동시에 식각할 수 있었다. 또한 이 식각 용액은 CoNbZr/Cu/CoNbZr 다층막을 3단계로 식각하고 식각된 단면은 이방성 구조를 가지며, 매우 우수한 식각 특성을 나타내었다.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2004

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) comprising amorphous CoNbZr layers have been investigated. $Co_{85.5}Nb_8Zr_{6.5}$(in at. %) layers were employed to substitute the traditionally used Ta layers with an emphasis given on under-standing underlayer effect. The typical junction structure was $SiO_2/CoNbZr$ or Ta 2/CoFe 8/IrMn 7.5/CoFe 3/Al 1.6 + oxidation/CoFe 3/CoNbZr or Ta 2 (nm). For both as-deposited state and after annealing, the CoNbZr-underlayered structure showed superior surface smoothness up to the tunnel barrier than Ta-underlayerd one (rms roughness of 0.16 vs. 0.34 nm). CoNbZr-based MTJs was proven beneficial for increasing thermal stability and increasing $V_h$ (the bias voltage where MR ratio becomes half) characteristics than Ta-based MTJs. This is because the CoNbZr-based junctions offer smoother interface structure than the Ta-based one.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1999.07d
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• pp.1968-1970
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• 1999

본 연구에서는 RF 마그네트론 스퍼터링법으로 CoNbZrPd 비정질 연자성 박막을 제조하여 Pd의 첨가 효과와 자장중 열처리에 의한 특성 변화에 대해 연구하였다. Pd가 4.34 at% 첨가된 $Co_{87.56}Nb_{6.45}Zr_{1.65}Pd_{4.34}$ 박막은 비정질 구조이며 Pd 첨가에 의해 보자력은 0.54 Oe으로 감소하였으며, 이방성 자계는 10.45 Oe로 Pd를 첨가하지 않은 CoNbZr 비정질 박막 보다 특성이 향상되었다. $Co_{87.56}Nb_{6.45}Zr_{1.65}Pd_{4.34}$ 비정질 박막은 $400^{\circ}C$까지 비정질 상을 유지하고 있지만, 연자기 특성이 열화되어 보자력이 증가하고 이방성자계가 급격히 감소하였지만, 포화 자화는 크게 변화지 않았다.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.198-203
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• 2003

To investigate whether the use of hard magnetic film is available to generate bias magnetic field for a magnetoimpedance sensor, the magnetic properties of SmCo hard magnetic films were investigated as a function of their compositions. The saturation magnetization decreased with Sm content increasing in SmCo films. And, the coercive force increased in the extent of Sm content of 28 at%, but decreased as Sm content increased moreover. The bias field effect of SmCo film to amorphous CoZrNb film was investigated with the magnetization corves, permeabilities, and magnetic domain structures of SmCo/CoZrNb multilayers. The bias field of about 60 Oe was observed in the film with 3 mm ${\times}$ 0.5 mm, which can be constructed as a MI sensor, and this result strongly indicates that the bias field generated from a hard magnetic film is adequate to enhance the sensitivity of a MI sensor with hard/soft magnetic multilayer structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2002.07b
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• pp.778-781
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• 2002

MI(Magneto-Impedance) sensor which is made by thin films has significantly high detecting sensitivity in weak magnetic field. It also has a merit to be able to build in the low power system. Its structure is simple, which makes it easier to prepare a miniature. In this study, its magnetic permeability and anisotropy field$(H_k)$ as a function of a thickness of sputtered amorphous CoZrNb films with zero-magnetostriction and excellent soft magnetic property are investigated. In order to make a uniaxial anisotropy, film was subjected to the post annealing in a static magnetic field with 1KOe intensity at 250, 300, and $320^{\circ}C}$ respectively for 2 hours. Anisotropy field$(H_k)$ of film is measured by using a MH loop tracer. Its magnetic permeability of a film is measured over the frequency range from 1 MHz to 750MHz. It has shown that the magnetic permeability of amorphous CoZrNb film is decreased due to the skin effect with increasing a thickness of the CoZrNb film, and hence its driving frequency is lowered. And, it was examined on the permeability and impedance to fabricate the MI sensor which acts at a low frequency by thickening a CoZrNb film relatively.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.31-36
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• 1991

Structural and compositional heterogeneities of sputter deposited, amorphous $Co_{87}Zr_{4}NB_{9}$ thin films were investigated using TEM and EDS with windowless detector. The films deposited with substrate bias and annealed in rotating magnetc field showed two amorphous phases of Co-rich region and (ZrNb)oxide-rich region, and revealed 'ultra-soft' magnetic properties. Revesible bias-responses and overdamped frequency responses, along with small Hc, Hk and Mr/Ms ratio, give the possibility of ultra-soft magnetic behavior fo CoZrNb thin films. We proposed the vortex type magnetization distribution in remanent state which was correlated with the thin film heterogeneity. Then, the ultra-soft characteristics of the compositionally heterogeneous films were explained by the spin vortices that minimized the total magnetostatic and exchange coupling energies.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.486-492
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• 1998

The amorphous Co-based magnetic films have a large saturation flux density, a low coercive force, and a zero magnetostriction constant. Therefore, they have been studied for application to magnetic recoding heads and micro magnetic devices. However, it was found that the magnetic anisotropy was changed for each film fabrication processes. In this study, we investigated how to control the anisotropy of sputtered amorphous $Co_{89}Nb{8.5}Zr{2.5}$ films. After deposition, the rotational field annealing ant the uniaxial field annealing were performed under the magnetic field of 1.5 kOe. the annealing was done at the temperature range from 400 to $600^{\circ}C$ for one hour. As-deposited amorphous $Co_{89}Nb{8.5}Zr{2.5}$ thin film had saturation magnetization ($4\piM_5$) of 0.8 T, coercive force($_IH_C$) of 1.5 Oe, and anisotropy field($H_k$) of 11 Oe. The amorphous $Co_{89}Nb{8.5}Zr{2.5}$ thin films annealed by rotational field annealing at $500^{\circ}C$ for one hour was found to be isotropy, and $4\piM_5$ of 0.9 T was obtained from these films, Also, the magnetic anisotropy of as-deposited films could be controlled by uniaxial field annealing at $400^{\circ}C$ for one hour. Anisotropy field($H_k$) of 17 Oe and $4\piM_5$ of 1.0 T were obtained by this method.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.96-100
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• 1997

A spin valve structure of NiO(40 nm)/Co(2 nm)/Cu(2.6 nm)/Co(x nm)/Ta(5 nm) has been investigated for the application of magnetic random access memory (MRAM). The spin valve structure exhibited very large difference in the coercivities between pinned and free layers, a relatively high GMR ratio, and a low free layer coercivity. The spin valves were prepared by sputtering and were characterized by dc 4-point probe, and VSM. The spin valves with combined free layer exhibited a maximun GMR ratio of 10.4% with a free layer coercivity of about 82 Oe. The spin valves with a single 10 nm thick a-CoNbZr free layer exhibited a GMR ratio of about 4.3% with a free layer coercivity of about 12 Oe. The GMR ratio of the spin valves increased by addition of Co between Cu and a-CoNbZr. It has been confirmed that the coercivity of free layer can be decreased by increasing the thickness of a-CoNbZr. It has been confirmed that the coercivity of free layer can be decreased by increasing the thickness of a-CoNbZr layer without losing the GMR ratio substantially, which was mainly due to high resistivity of the amorphous "layers".

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.48-49
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• 2000