• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.47-52
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• 2003

Ferromagnetic tunnel junctions were fabricated by dc magnetron sputtering and plasma oxidation process. The local transport properties of the ferromagnetic tunnel junctions were studied using contact-mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and the local current-voltage analysis. Tunnel junctions with the structure of sub./Ta/Cu/Ta/NiFe/Cu/Mn$\_$75/Ir$\_$25//Co$\_$70/Fe$\_$30//Al-oxide were prepared on thermally oxidized Si wafers. Al-oxide layers were formed with microwave excited plasma using radial line slot antenna (RLSA) for 5 and 7 sec. Kr gas was used as the inert gas mixed with $O_2$ gas for the plasma oxidization. No correlation between topography and current image was observed while they were measured simultaneously. The local current distribution was well identified with the distribution of local barrier height. Assuming the gaussian distribution of the local barrier height, the ferromagnetic tunnel junction with longer oxidation time was well fitted with the experimental results. As contrast, in the case of the shorter time oxidation junction, the current mainly flow through the low barrier height area for its insufficient oxygen. Such leakage current might result in the decrease of tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 1993

The effects of Mn, Cr or Co addItion on the magnetic properties of Fe-Ni Invar alloys were investigated. The composition range of the three additives is up to 5wt%. In the temperature range of room temperature-$250^{\circ}C$, the variation of specific magnetization with the addition of Mn, Cr or Co in the Fe-Ni alloys except for 5wt% Co shows the phenomenon characteristics of the Invar effect, viz., the specific magnetization decreases very abrubtly with the temperature and the dependence of temperature on the specific magnetization is in the mixed form of $T^{3/2}$ and $T^{2}$. In the room temperature, the amount of increase in the specific magnetization, Curie temperature and coercivity is in order of Co > Cr > Mn. In the case of 5wt% Co an anomalous phenomena were observed due to the occurrance of ferromagnetic $\alpha$ phase which reduces the invar effect.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 1992

In order to fabricate magnetoresistive sensor, Fe-Ni and Co-Ni alleys were evaporated on the slide glass and the silicon wafers. Saturation magnetic induction($B_{s}$), coercive field strength($H_{c}$) and magnetoresistance were measured for fabricated samples. The evaporated Fe-Ni thin films show that the saturation magnetic induction was 0.65 T, and coercive field strength was 0.379 A/cm, and this value was changed to 0.370 A/cm(//), 0.390 A/cm(${\bot}$), respectively after magnetic annealing. For the measurement of coercive field strength, magnetizing frequency of 1 kHz was used. For the fabricated sensor element, the change of magnetoresistance (${\Delta}R/R$) was excessively unstable due to oxidation in the process of fabrication. The evaporated Co-Ni alloy thin films show that saturation magnetic induction was 0.66 T, and coercive field strengthes were 5.895 A/cm(//), 5.898 A/cm(${\bot}$), respectively, after magnetic annelaing. The change of magnetoresistance(${\Delta}R/R$) was $3.6{\sim}3.7%$ of which value was excessively stable to room temperature. Fe-Ni thin film could have many problems due to large affinity in the process of fabrication of magnetoresistance sensor, but Co-Ni thin film could be a suitable material for fabrication of magnetoresistance sensor, because of its small affinity and definite magnetoresistance effects.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.159-163
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• 2000

MR characteristics in magnetic tunnel junction using CoO as the oxide barrier were investigated. Spin-dependent tunnel junctions were fabricated on 4$\^$o/ tilt-cut (111)Si substrates in 3-gun magnetron sputtering system. The top and bottom ferromagnetic electrodes were Ni$\_$80/Fe$\_$20/(300 $\AA$) and Co(300 $\AA$), respectively. The oxide barriers (CoO) were formed by the thermal oxidation at room temperature in an O$_2$ atmosphere and the plasma oxidation. The increase of coercive field due to antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic coupling has been observed in O$_2$plasma-oxidized CoO based junctions at room temperature. At a sensing current of 1 mA, MR ratios of O$_2$plasma-oxidized CoO based junction and thermal-oxidized CoO based junction at room temperature were 1% and 5%, respectively. Larger MR ratios are observed in magnetic tunnel juctions with thermal oxidized CoO when sensing current more than applied 1.5 mA. At a sensing current of 1.5 mA, we have observed MR value of 28 % and specific resistance (RA=R$\times$A) value of 10.9 ㏀$\times$㎛$^2$. When specific resistance values reached 2.28 ㏀$\times$㎛$^2$, we have observed that MR ratios become as high as 120%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2008.12a
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• pp.299.2-299.2
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.12a
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• pp.109-111
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• 2006

This paper presents characterization and analysis of integrated ferromagnetic inductors in RF regime. Two different materials (CoFe/NiFe) are used as ferromagnetic material. Systematic studies of the inductance (L), the Q-factor (Q) and the structure of the inductor have been performed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.934-940
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• 2001

Magnetic properties were investigated for Si/SiO$_2$/NiFe(300 )/A1$_2$O$_3$(t)/Co(200 ) junction related with the parameters of $Al_2$O$_3$. Insulating $Al_2$O$_3$ layer was formed by depositing a 5~40 thick Al layer, followed by a 90~120s RF plasma oxidation in an $O_2$ atmosphere. Magnetoresistance was not observed for tunnel junction with 5~10 thick Al layer, but magnetoresistance was observed large for tunnel junction with 15~40 thick Al layer. Oxidation time did not largely influence magnetoresistance. Tunnel magnetoresistance effect depended on magnetization behavior of two ferromagnetic layers. Tunneling junction was confirmed through nonlinear I-V curve. In this work, tunneling magnetoresistance(TMR) up to 30 % was observed. This apparent TMR is an artifact of the nonuniform current flow over the junction in the cross geometry of the electrodes.

• 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.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.5 no.5
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• pp.846-853
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• 1995

In order to study electronic structures for locally disordered systems, we have developed a first-principle self-con-sistent-spin-polarized real space band method (TB-LMTO-R), which combines the tight-binding(TB) linear-muffin-tin orbital(LMTO) band rrethod and the recursion(R) rrethod. The TB-LMTO-R rrethod has been applied to fer-romagnetic bec Fe, hcp Co, and fcc Ni. With varying cluster sizes, recursion coefficients, and the order of the TB-Hamiltonian, we have calculated the local density of states(LDOS) and magnetic moments. It is found that the calculation with 5,000 atoms cluster, 40 continued fractions, and the second-order TB-Hamiltonian yields a conver¬gent result in agreement with those from the conventional LMTO. In this way, we have demonstrated a physical transparency of the TB-LMTO-R method as a real space description.