Magnetic Properties of Cobalt Films at the Initial Stage of Ion-Beam Deposition

International audienceVariations in the magnetic properties of ion-beam-deposited cobalt (Co) films from the onset of nucleation until the passage to a bulk-like state have been studied using ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements at 9.55 GHz and SQUID magnetometry. Depending on the Co film thickness, the FMR line width ΔH exhibits a sharp transition from large values (0.24 kOe 0.54 kOe at 10 K), while thicker films are char acterized by HC < 0.16 kOe in the entire range of temperatures up to 300 K. Large values of ΔH and HC at the nucleation and initial growth stages are related to the contribution from a transition Co/Si layer formed under the action of self irradiation with a high-energy component of the deposited flux, which is inherent in the ion-beam sputtering in high vacuum. This fraction of high-energy Co atoms does not exceed 10% of their total flux and is characterized by a mean projected range of 0.8 nm in the growing Co layer and 1.2 nm in the Si substrate. Conditions of using Co films with intermediate thicknesses within 0.8 nm < t ≤ 2 nm for the injection of a spin-polarized current into silicon at room temperature are discussed

Mechanism of contact resistance formation in ohmic contacts with high dislocation density

A new mechanism of contact resistance formation in ohmic contacts with high dislocation density is proposed. Its specific feature is the appearance of a characteristic region where the contact resistance increases with temperature. According to the mechanism revealed, the current flowing through the metal shunts associated with dislocations is determined by electron diffusion. It is shown that current flows through the semiconductor near-surface regions where electrons accumulate. A feature of the mechanism is the realization of ohmic contact irrespective of the relation between the contact and bulk resistances. The theory is proved for contacts formed to III-V semiconductor materials as well as silicon-based materials. A reasonable agreement between theory and experimental results is obtained. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3702850