• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.486-492
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• 1999

The purpose of this research was to find out what is the dominant factor determining the $H_{ex}$ and the $H_C$ of Mn-Ir/Ni-Fe multilayers with different buffer layers. Regardless of (111) texture of Mn-Ir layer, all samples showed over the $H_{ex}$ of 155 Oe. We found out the $H_{ex}$ and the $H_C$ of Mn-Ir/Ni-Fe multilayers depend on interface morphology and grain size of Mn-Ir layer at the interface between Mn-Ir and Ni-Fe layers. The dependence of magnetroesistance ratio and coupling field on the thickness of ferromagnetic layer, thickness of Cu layer and different buffer layers have been studied. Maximum magnetoresistance ratio appeared for the sample Ta(5 nm)/Mn-Ir(10 nm)/Ni-Fe(7.5 nm)/Cu(2 nm)/Ni-Fe(6 nm)/Ta(5 nm)/Si. Magnetoresistance ratio may be related to grain of ferromagnetic layer. Coupling field may be related to the roughness and the grain size of ferromagnetic layer in the spin-valve multilayers.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.212-212
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• 2003

Many of the spin valve multilayer structures with FeMn as antiferromagnetic layer consist of a NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer where the bottom NiFe layer is the seed layer to facilitate the growth of (111) gama-FeMn antiferromagnetic phase and the top NiFe layer forms the pinned layer[1], In this study, exchange bias of bottom NiFe layer has been investigated as functions of thicknesses of top and bottom NiFe in NiFe/FeMn/NiFe, prepared by rf magnetron sputtering, MH-loop was measured by vibration sample magnetometer (VSM). Two hysteresis loops are corresponded to bottom and top layers, similar to reported loops in spin valve structure. Exchange bias of bottom NiFe could be induced by the interfacial coupling between bottom NiFe and FeMn. But those coupling are strongly dependent on the top and bottom NiFe thicknesses, revealing anomalous character ul exchange bias of bottom NiFe layer.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.132-136
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• 2002

Enhancement of crystallinity and exchange bias characteristics for NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer with Si buffer layer fabricated by ion-beam deposition were examined. A Si buffer layer promoted (111) texture of fcc crystallities in the initial growth region of NiFe layer deposited on it. FeMn layers deposited on Si/NiFe bilayer exhibited excellent (111) crystal texture. The antiferromagnetic FeMn layer between top and bottom NiFe films with the buffer Si 50 ${\AA}$-thick induced a large exchange coupling field Hex with a different dependence. It was found that H$\sub$ex/ of the bottom and top NiFe films with Si buffer layer revealed large value of about 110 Oe and 300 Oe, respectively. In the comparison of two Ta and Si buffer layers, the NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer with Si could possess larger exchange coupling field and higher crystallinity.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.274-279
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• 2000

The microstructure and thermal properties of the Mn-IriNi-Fe exchange biased multi-layers with various buffer layers and stacking structures have been investigated. The H$_{e{\chi}}$ and the T$_{b}$ depend on the Mn-Ir grain size at the interface between the Mn-Ir layer and the Ni-Fe layer, The (111) preferred orientation of Mn-Ir/Ni-Fe on the Ta buffer layer may promote the values of J$_{k}$ and H$_{e{\chi}}$. The samples which produce the Hex have the epitaxial relationship at the interface between the Mn-Ir layer and the Ni-Fe layer due to the generation of misfit dislocation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.55-58
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• 2003

FeMn based spin valves often consist of a NiFe/FeMn/NiFe trilayer structure. We have investigated the evolution of exchange bias at the bottom and top interfaces in the NiFe(5nm)/FeMn(x)/NiFe(5nm) trilayer structure as a function of FeMn thickness in the range 3 nm to 30 nm. The XRD results indicate (111) textured growth for NiFe and FeMn layers. The magnetization studies using VSM show two hysteresis loops corresponding to the bottom NiFe seed layer and top NiFe layers with greater bias for the bottom NiFe layer, for FeMn thickness equal to and above 5 nm. The larger exchange bias for the bottom seed layer is confirmed by the surface sensitive MOKE hysteresis loop measurements which show gradual weakening of the MOKE hysteresis loop for the bottom NiFe layer with increasing FeMn thickness. The observed large exchange bias in a spin valve structure is usually attributed to the pinning NiFe layer on top of the FeMn layer, even when a NiFe seed layer of a few nm thickness is present, whereas, in reality it may be arising from the bottom seed layer, as shown by the present study.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.146-150
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• 2001

The effect of H$_2$ content in Ar sputtering gas on exchange coupling field(H$_{ex}$) for NiFe/FeMn interface was studied. When NiFe layer of Si(100)/Ta(50 $\AA$)/NiFe(60 $\AA$)/FeMn(250 $\AA$)Ta(50 $\AA$) was deposited at 8% H$_2$ in sputtering gas, the maximum exchange coupling field(H$_{ex}$) and minimum coercivity(H$_{c}$) were obtained. When Si(100)/Ta(50 $\AA$)/NiFe(60 $\AA$)/FeMn(250 $\AA$)/NiFe(70 $\AA$)/Ta(50 $\AA$) was deposited at 5% H$_2$ in sputtering gas, the maximum exchange coupling field(H$_{ex}$) of 148 Oe was obtained. The (111) preferred orientation and grain size of underlayer NiFe were increased and the internal stress was reduced by H$_2$ in sputtering gas. And the (111) preferred orientation and grain size of FeMn layer were also increased.d.ased.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2003

Annealing effects of exchange bias fields ($H_{2ex}$(top), $H_{lex}$ (bottom)) on composite type NiFe/[FeMn/Mn]$_{80}$/NiFe multilayers have been studied. Three samples with ultra-thin Mn inserted layers on glass/Ta(50 $\AA$)/NiFe(150 $\AA$)/[F $e_{53}$M $n_{47}$(1.25 $\AA$)/Mn(0 $\AA$, 0.11 $\AA$, 0.3 $\AA$)]$_{80}$/NiFe(90 $\AA$)/Ta(50 $\AA$) were prepared by ion beam sputtering. The average x-ray diffraction peak ratios NiFe(111) of FeMn (111) fcc textures for the Mn inserted total thicknesses of 0 $\AA$, 9 $\AA$, and 24 $\AA$ were about 0.65, 0.90, and 1.5, respectively. For the sample without Mn inserted layer, the $H_{2ex}$ of 260 Oe up to 300 $^{\circ}C$ disappeared at 350 $^{\circ}C$. For two multilayer samples with ultra-thin Mn layers of 0.11 $\AA$ and 0.3 $\AA$, the $H_{2exs}$ of 310 Oe and 180 Oe up to 300 $^{\circ}C$ endured of 215 Oe and 180 Oe at 350 $^{\circ}C$, respectively. The $H_{ex}$ (bottom)s of three samples decreased from 100 Oe to 70 Oe up to 250 $^{\circ}C$, while these values increased beyond 300 $^{\circ}C$. This observation can be attributed to less diffusive path of Mn atoms in bottom NiFe than top NiFe layer. The top and bottom coercive fields slightly varied about 5 Oe∼10 Oe. From these results, we could obtain the enhancement of exchange coupling intensity and thermal stability by an ultra-thin Mn inserted layer on NiFe/[FeMn/Mn]$_{80}$/NiFe Multilayers.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.265-269
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• 2005

Exchange bias effect of a various layered thin films were studied by FMR measurment. In plane angular dependence of a resonance field distribution which measured by FMR was analysed as a combined effect of an unidirectional anisotropy and an uniaxial anisotropy. Exchange biased NiFe/IrMn, IrMn/NiFe/IrMn, and NiFe/IrMn/CoFe thin films showed larger unidirectional anisotropy field and uniaxial anisotropy field with compared to that of an unbiased NiFe single thin film. In case of NiFe/Cu/IrMn, the film with thick Cu layer exhibited a similar trend to the unbiased NiFe thin film. NiFe/IrMn/CoFe thin film showed two resonance field distribution due to different ferromagnetic layers. In additon to the resonance field, the line width was also analysed with related to exchange bias effect.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.132-135
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• 2011

The exchange bias field ($H_{EX}$) and the coercivity ($H_C$) variation and change depending on the thickness of intermediately super-soft magnetic NiFeCuMo layer with different thickness of the bottom NiFe layer were investigated. The $H_{EX}$ of triple pinned NiFe(4 nm)/NiFeCuMo($t_{NiFeCuMo}$= 1 nm)/NiFe(4 nm)/FeMn multilayer has the maximum value more less than one of single pinned NiFe(8 nm)/FeMn layer. If NiFeCuMo layer is inserted each into between the pinned and free NiFe layers, we can be used as GMR-SV device for a bio-sensor that has improved magnetic sensitivity.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2000

We studied the exchange anisotropy of Ni-Fe/Co-Fe/Mn-Ir/Cu/buffer/Si multilayers using D.C magnetron sputtering technique. Generally, Ni-Fe/Mn-Ir/buffer(Cu)/Si multilayers cannot pin the ferromagnetic layer for the lower exchange biased field. We got $H_{ex}$ ex/ increased by two times, after using Cu/Ta as buffer layer to get larger grain size of Mn-Ir layer and inserting very thin Co-Fe layer between the Ni-Fe layer and the Mn-Ir layer to get improved grain-to-grain epitaxy relation at the interface between Ni-Fe layer and Mn-Ir layer. The variation of $H_{ex}$ by thickness of Mn-Ir layer in ferromagnete/Mn-Ir/buffer/Si multilayers is different to that in Mn-Ir/ferromagnete/buffer/Si multilayers, because the volume distribution of grain size of Mn-Ir layer and the exchange energy at the interface between the Mn-Ir and the ferromagnetic layers is different for stacking sequence.