Interface roughness effects on the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions

Zongzhi Zhang; Hui Zhao; Yang Ren; B. Ma; Q. Y. Jin

doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033

Interface roughness effects on the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions

Zongzhi Zhang, Hui Zhao, Yang Ren, B. Ma, Q. Y. Jin

Fudan University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

In-situ thermal anneal and substrate biased radio frequency plasma treatments are chosen to smooth the bottom electrode prior to the deposition of the AlO_x barrier and the top electrode in the bottom pinned magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) stackes. Atomic force microscopy images indicate that surface roughness could be reduced by low energy plasma etching (40 W) on the in-situ heated bottom electrode. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and ferromagnetic interlayer coupling (H_in) behaviors versus ex-situ anneal temperature for treated and untreated junctions are studied. The results indicate that magnetic tunnel junctions deposited on the smoothed electrode show good thermal stability, high TMR signal, low interlayer coupling field, and sharp magnetization reversal of the free layer. It is concluded that the interface roughness is of great importance and must be well controlled in order to obtain high performance MTJs.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3941-3945
Number of pages	5
Journal	Thin Solid Films
Volume	515
Issue number	7-8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033
State	Published - 26 Feb 2007
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Interface roughness
Magnetic tunnel junctions
Magnetoresistance
Thermal annealing

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10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033

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title = "Interface roughness effects on the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions",

abstract = "In-situ thermal anneal and substrate biased radio frequency plasma treatments are chosen to smooth the bottom electrode prior to the deposition of the AlOx barrier and the top electrode in the bottom pinned magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) stackes. Atomic force microscopy images indicate that surface roughness could be reduced by low energy plasma etching (40 W) on the in-situ heated bottom electrode. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and ferromagnetic interlayer coupling (Hin) behaviors versus ex-situ anneal temperature for treated and untreated junctions are studied. The results indicate that magnetic tunnel junctions deposited on the smoothed electrode show good thermal stability, high TMR signal, low interlayer coupling field, and sharp magnetization reversal of the free layer. It is concluded that the interface roughness is of great importance and must be well controlled in order to obtain high performance MTJs.",

keywords = "Interface roughness, Magnetic tunnel junctions, Magnetoresistance, Thermal annealing",

author = "Zongzhi Zhang and Hui Zhao and Yang Ren and B. Ma and Jin, \{Q. Y.\}",

year = "2007",

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day = "26",

doi = "10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033",

language = "英语",

volume = "515",

pages = "3941--3945",

journal = "Thin Solid Films",

issn = "0040-6090",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

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}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Interface roughness effects on the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions

AU - Zhang, Zongzhi

AU - Zhao, Hui

AU - Ren, Yang

AU - Ma, B.

AU - Jin, Q. Y.

PY - 2007/2/26

Y1 - 2007/2/26

N2 - In-situ thermal anneal and substrate biased radio frequency plasma treatments are chosen to smooth the bottom electrode prior to the deposition of the AlOx barrier and the top electrode in the bottom pinned magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) stackes. Atomic force microscopy images indicate that surface roughness could be reduced by low energy plasma etching (40 W) on the in-situ heated bottom electrode. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and ferromagnetic interlayer coupling (Hin) behaviors versus ex-situ anneal temperature for treated and untreated junctions are studied. The results indicate that magnetic tunnel junctions deposited on the smoothed electrode show good thermal stability, high TMR signal, low interlayer coupling field, and sharp magnetization reversal of the free layer. It is concluded that the interface roughness is of great importance and must be well controlled in order to obtain high performance MTJs.

AB - In-situ thermal anneal and substrate biased radio frequency plasma treatments are chosen to smooth the bottom electrode prior to the deposition of the AlOx barrier and the top electrode in the bottom pinned magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) stackes. Atomic force microscopy images indicate that surface roughness could be reduced by low energy plasma etching (40 W) on the in-situ heated bottom electrode. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and ferromagnetic interlayer coupling (Hin) behaviors versus ex-situ anneal temperature for treated and untreated junctions are studied. The results indicate that magnetic tunnel junctions deposited on the smoothed electrode show good thermal stability, high TMR signal, low interlayer coupling field, and sharp magnetization reversal of the free layer. It is concluded that the interface roughness is of great importance and must be well controlled in order to obtain high performance MTJs.

KW - Interface roughness

KW - Magnetic tunnel junctions

KW - Magnetoresistance

KW - Thermal annealing

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/33846933093

U2 - 10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033

DO - 10.1016/j.tsf.2006.09.033

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:33846933093

SN - 0040-6090

VL - 515

SP - 3941

EP - 3945

JO - Thin Solid Films

JF - Thin Solid Films

IS - 7-8

ER -

Interface roughness effects on the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions

Abstract

Keywords

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