• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.63-71
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• 2002

Three fabrication techniques for forming thin barrier layer with uniform thickness and large barrier height in magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) are discussed. First, the effect of immiscible element addition to Cu layer, a high conducting layer generally placed under the MTJ, is investigated in order to reduce the surface roughness of the bottom ferromagnetic layer, on which the barrier is formed. The Ag addition to the Cu layer successfully realizes the smooth surface of the ferromagnetic layer because of the suppression of the grain growth of Cu. Second, a new plasma source, characterized as low electron energy of 1 eV and high density of $10^{12}$ $cm^{-3}$, is introduced to the Al oxidation process in MTJ fabrication in order to reduce damages to the barrier layer by the ion-bombardment. The magnetotransport properties of the MTJs are investigated as a function of the annealing temperature. As a peculiar feature, the monotonous decrease of resistance area product (RA) is observed with increasing the annealing temperature. The decrease of the RA is due to the decrease of the effective barrier width. Third, the influence of the mixed inert gas species for plasma oxidization process of metallic Al layer on the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) was investigated. By the use of Kr-O$_2$ plasma for Al oxidation process, a 58.8 % of MR ratio was obtained at room temperature after annealing the junction at $300{^{\circ}C}$, while the achieved TMR ratio of the MTJ fabricated with usual Ar-$0_2$ plasma remained 48.4%. A faster oxidization rate of the Al layer by using Kr-O$_2$ plasma is a possible cause to prevent the over oxidization of Al layer and to realize a large magnetoresistance.

• 한국자기학회:학술대회 개요집
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• 한국자기학회 2011년도 자성 및 자성재료 국제학술대회
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• pp.46-47
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• 2011

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2013년도 제44회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.387-387
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• 2013

Currently, the flash memory and the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) have been used in a variety of applications. However, the downsizing of devices and the increasing density of recording medias are now in progress. So there are many demands for development of new semiconductor memory for next generation. Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is one of the prospective semiconductor memories with excellent features including non-volatility, fast access time, unlimited read/write endurance, low operating voltage, and high storage density. MRAM is composed of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The MTJ stack consists of various magnetic materials, metals, and a tunneling barrier layer. Recently, MgO thin films have attracted a great attention as the prominent candidates for a tunneling barrier layer in the MTJ stack instead of the conventional Al2O3 films, because it has low Gibbs energy, low dielectric constant and high tunneling magnetoresistance value. For the successful etching of high density MRAM, the etching characteristics of MgO thin films as a tunneling barrier layer should be developed. In this study, the etch characteristics of MgO thin films have been investigated in various gas mixes using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICPRIE). The Cl2/Ar, CH3OH/Ar, and CH4/Ar gas mix were employed to find an optimized etching gas for MgO thin film etching. TiN thin films were employed as a hard mask to increase the etch selectivity. The etch rates were obtained using surface profilometer and etch profiles were observed by using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).

• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2017

Magnetic properties of CoPt nanoparticles (average size = 2.1 nm) encapsulated in synthesized protein shell have been investigated with SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) magnetometer and analyzed by the recently developed non-equilibrium magnetization calculation by our group [T. H. Lee et al., Phys. Rev. B 90, 184411 (2014)]. Field dependence of magnetization measured at 2 K was successfully analyzed with modified Langevin function. In addition, small hysteresis loops having the coercive field of 890 Oe were observed at 2 K. Temperature dependence of magnetization has been measured with zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) protocol with slightly modified sequence in accordance with non-equilibrium magnetization calculation. The analysis on the M vs. T data revealed that the anisotropy energy barrier distribution is found to be very different from the log-normal distribution found in a size distribution. Zero temperature coercive field and Bloch coefficient have also been extracted from the analysis and the validity of those values is checked.

• 한국자기학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.1-4
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• 2009

미소자기학 모델을 이용하여, 인위적 반강자성체에서 자화의 시도주파수에 대한 연구를 진행하였다. 다양한 일축 자기이방성, 패턴 구조 및 패턴된 시편의 에너지 장벽 크기에 대해 시도주파수를 조사하였다. 시편의 부피가 동일한 경우, 인위적 반강자성체를 구성하는 두 자성층의 결합 자기장에 따라 시도주파수가 변화하는 것을 관측하였다. 또한 에너지 장벽의 크기가 동일한 경우에도, 일축 자기이방성에 따라 시도주파수가 매우 크게 변하는 사실을 알게 되었다.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.201-206
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• 2015

Using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) incorporating both semiempirical and nonlocal van der Waals interaction, the structural, adsorption, and magnetic properties of Ni/BN/Co systems were investigated. We proposed that the relative spin direction of Ni and Co magnets can be easily tuned, because the total energy difference between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) states is small. Despite this feature, very interestingly, both Ni and Co layers manifest half-metallic state, whereas the spacer BN layer becomes weak metal for one monolayer (ML) thickness and an insulating barrier for two ML thicknesses. The half-metallic behavior of the magnetic layers seems very robust, because it is independent of the magnetic coupling between Ni and Co. This finding indicates that the Ni/BN/Co system can be used as a potential candidate for tunneling magnetoresistance system.

• 전기전자학회논문지
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.846-849
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• 2018

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is the technology that enables the power to transmit electromagnetic field to an electrical load without the use of wires. There are two kinds of magnetic resonant coupling and inductive coupling ways transmitting from the source to the output load. Compared with microwave method for energy transfer over a long distance, the magnetic resonance method has the advantages of reducing the barrier of electromagnetic wave and enhancing the efficiency of power transmission. In this paper, the wireless power transfer circuit having a resonant frequency of 13.45 MHz for the low power system is studied, and the hardware implementation is accomplished to measure the power transmission efficiency for the distance between the transmitter and the receiver.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.90-93
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• 2001

Co/$Al_O_3$/NiFe and CO/$Al_O_3$/Co tunnel junctions were fabricated by a radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature with hard mask on glass and $4^{\circ}$ tilt cut Si (111) substrates. The barrier layer was formed through two steps. After the Al layer was deposited, it was oxidized in the chamber of a reactive ion etching system (RIE) with $O_2$plasma at various conditions. The dependence of the TMR value and junction resistance on the thickness of Al layer (before oxidation) and oxidation parameters were investigated. Magnetoresistance value of 7% at room temperature was obtained by optimizing the Al layer thickness and oxidation conditions. Circular shape junctions on $4^{\circ}$tilt cut Si (111) substrate showed 4% magnetoresistance. Photovoltaic energy conversion effect was observed with the cross-strip geometry junctions on Si substrate.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 1999년도 제17회 학술발표회 논문개요집
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• pp.29-29
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• 1999

The synthesis of layered structures on the nanometer scale has become essential for continued improvements in the operation of various electronic and magnetic devices. Abrupt metal-metal interfaces are desired for applications ranging from metallization in semiconductor devices to fabrication of magnetoresistive tunnel junctions for read heads on magnetic disk drives. In particular, characterizing the interface structure between various transition metals (TM) and aluminum is desirable. We have used the techniques of MeV ion backscattering and channeling (HEIS), x-ray photoemission (ZPS), x-ray photoelectron diffraction(XPD), low-energy ion scattering (LEIS), and low-energy electron diffraction(LEED), together with computer simulations using embedded atom potentials, to study solid-solid interface structure for thin films of Ni, Fe, Co, Pd, Ti, and Ag on Al(001), Al(110) and Al(111) surfaces. Considerations of lattice matching, surface energies, or compound formation energies alone do not adequately predict our result, We find that those metals with metallic radii smaller than Al(e.g. Ni, Fe, Co, Pd) tend to form alloys at the TM-Al interface, while those atoms with larger atomic radii(e.g. Ti, Ag) form epitaxial overlayers. Thus we are led to consider models in which the strain energy associated with alloy formation becomes a kinetic barrier to alloying. Furthermore, we observe the formation of metastable fcc Ti up to a critical thickness of 5 monolayers on Al(001) and Al(110). For Ag films we observe arbitrarily thick epitaxial growth exceeding 30 monolayers with some Al alloying at the interface, possible driven by interface strain relief. Typical examples of these interface structures will be discussed.

• KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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• 제11B권2호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

This paper deals with magnetic field analysis and computation of cogging torque using an analytical method in Interior Permanent Magnet Motor (IPMM). The magnetic field is analyzed by solving space harmonics field analysis due to magnetizing and the cogging torque is analyzed by combining field analysis with relative permeance. In reducing cogging torque, the inferences of various design variable and magnetizing distribution are investigated. It is shown that the slot and pole ratio (the pole-arc / pole-pitch ratio) combination has a significant effect on the cogging torque and presents a optimal flux barrier shape to reduce the cogging torque. The validity of the proposed technique is confirmed with 2-D Finite Element(FE) analysis.