First-order reversal curve analysis of graded anisotropy FePtCu films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.The reversal mechanisms of graded anisotropy FePtCu films have been investigated by alternating gradient magnetometer AGM and magneto-optical Kerr effect MOKE measurements with first-order reversal curve FORC techniques. The AGM-FORC analysis, which clearly shows the presence of soft and hard components, is unable to resolve how these phases are distributed throughout the film thickness. MOKE-FORC measurements, which preferentially probe the surface of the film, reveal that the soft components are indeed located toward the top surface. Combining AGM-FORC with the inherent surface sensitivity of MOKE-FORC analysis allows for a comprehensive analysis of heterogeneous systems such as graded materials

Continuously graded anisotropy in single (Fe53Pt47)100−xCux films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.We report on continuously graded anisotropy. During deposition, a compositional gradient is achieved by varying the Cu concentration from Cu-rich (Fe53Pt47)70Cu30 to Cu-free Fe53Pt47. The anisotropy gradient is then realized after annealing using the composition dependence of the low-anisotropy (A1) to high-anisotropy (L10) ordering temperature. The critical role of the annealing temperature on the resultant anisotropy gradient is investigated. Magnetic measurements support the creation of an anisotropy gradient in properly annealed films which exhibit both a reduced coercivity and moderate thermal stability. These results demonstrate that an anisotropy gradient can be realized, and tailored, in single continuous films without the need for multilayers

Titled and graded anisotropy FePt and FePtCu thin films for the application of hard disk drive and spin torque oscillators

 The FePt and FePtCu thin films with graded anisotropy and titled anisotropy are utilized to solve both the magnetic recording ‘‘trilemma’’ of the hard disk drives (HDDs) and the large field operation problem of spin torque oscillators (STOs). We have successfully realized the FePtCu thin films with graded anisotropy. During deposition a compositional gradient is achieved by continuously varying the Cu content from the top to bottom. After annealing at proper temperatures, the top Cu-poor regions remain at soft A1 phase, while the bottom Cu-rich regions transform into hard L1 0phase. Hence the gradient anisotropy is established through the film thickness. The critical role of the annealing temperatures (TA) on the resultant anisotropy gradient is investigated. Magnetic measurements support the creation of an anisotropy gradient in properly annealed films which exhibit both the reduced coercivity and moderate thermal stability. In conjunction of the fabrication, the subsequent analysis of the graded material is not trivial. The reversal mechanism of graded anisotropy have been investigated by alternation gradient magnetometer (AGM) and magneto optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements with first order reversal curves (FORC) technique. The AGM-FORC analysis, which clearly shows the soft and hard phases, is not able to resolve how these phases are distributed through the film thickness. MOKE-FORC measurement which preferentially probes the surface of the film, reveal that the soft components are indeed located toward the top surface. The TA plays a critical role in the induced anisotropy gradient. We provide a detailed study of the how the anisotropy gradient in a compositional graded FePtCu film gradually develops as a function of the TA. By utilizing the in-situ annealing and magnetic characterization capability of a physical property measurement system, the evolution of the induced anisotropy gradient is elucidated. These results are important and useful for the application of HDDs. In order to achieve the zero-field operation for STOs, we have successfully fabricated pseudo spinvalves based on L1 0(111) textured FePt or FePtCu. We demonstrate magnetoresistance(MR) in excess of 4% in FePt/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/NiFe pseudo spin valves based on L10(111)-oriented FePt fixed layers with a 36 ° out-of-plane tilted magnetization. The high MR is achieved by increasing the spin polarization at the Cu interfaces, using thin CoFe, and optimizing the FePt growth and Cu interface quality using Ta and Ta/Pt underlayers.We observe well-separated switching of the FePt/CoFe fixed layer and the CoFe/NiFe free layer, suggesting that CoFe is rigidly exchange coupled to FePt and NiFe in the respective layers. Futuremore, through optimization of the Cu spacer thickness, we demonstrate MR up to 5% in FePtCu/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/NiFe pseudo spin valves based on L10 (111) FePtCu fixed layers with a tilted magnetization. We find an optimum spacer thickness of about 2.4 nm which correlates with a clear onset of strong interlayer exchange coupling below 2.4 nm and spin-independent current shunting in the spacer above 2.4 nm. These results are an important milestone for future applications of tilted spin polarizers in STOs.QC 2011052

Titled and graded anisotropy FePt and FePtCu thin films for the application of hard disk drive and spin torque oscillators

 The FePt and FePtCu thin films with graded anisotropy and titled anisotropy are utilized to solve both the magnetic recording ‘‘trilemma’’ of the hard disk drives (HDDs) and the large field operation problem of spin torque oscillators (STOs). We have successfully realized the FePtCu thin films with graded anisotropy. During deposition a compositional gradient is achieved by continuously varying the Cu content from the top to bottom. After annealing at proper temperatures, the top Cu-poor regions remain at soft A1 phase, while the bottom Cu-rich regions transform into hard L1 0phase. Hence the gradient anisotropy is established through the film thickness. The critical role of the annealing temperatures (TA) on the resultant anisotropy gradient is investigated. Magnetic measurements support the creation of an anisotropy gradient in properly annealed films which exhibit both the reduced coercivity and moderate thermal stability. In conjunction of the fabrication, the subsequent analysis of the graded material is not trivial. The reversal mechanism of graded anisotropy have been investigated by alternation gradient magnetometer (AGM) and magneto optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements with first order reversal curves (FORC) technique. The AGM-FORC analysis, which clearly shows the soft and hard phases, is not able to resolve how these phases are distributed through the film thickness. MOKE-FORC measurement which preferentially probes the surface of the film, reveal that the soft components are indeed located toward the top surface. The TA plays a critical role in the induced anisotropy gradient. We provide a detailed study of the how the anisotropy gradient in a compositional graded FePtCu film gradually develops as a function of the TA. By utilizing the in-situ annealing and magnetic characterization capability of a physical property measurement system, the evolution of the induced anisotropy gradient is elucidated. These results are important and useful for the application of HDDs. In order to achieve the zero-field operation for STOs, we have successfully fabricated pseudo spinvalves based on L1 0(111) textured FePt or FePtCu. We demonstrate magnetoresistance(MR) in excess of 4% in FePt/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/NiFe pseudo spin valves based on L10(111)-oriented FePt fixed layers with a 36 ° out-of-plane tilted magnetization. The high MR is achieved by increasing the spin polarization at the Cu interfaces, using thin CoFe, and optimizing the FePt growth and Cu interface quality using Ta and Ta/Pt underlayers.We observe well-separated switching of the FePt/CoFe fixed layer and the CoFe/NiFe free layer, suggesting that CoFe is rigidly exchange coupled to FePt and NiFe in the respective layers. Futuremore, through optimization of the Cu spacer thickness, we demonstrate MR up to 5% in FePtCu/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/NiFe pseudo spin valves based on L10 (111) FePtCu fixed layers with a tilted magnetization. We find an optimum spacer thickness of about 2.4 nm which correlates with a clear onset of strong interlayer exchange coupling below 2.4 nm and spin-independent current shunting in the spacer above 2.4 nm. These results are an important milestone for future applications of tilted spin polarizers in STOs.QC 2011052

Continuously graded anisotropy in single (Fe53Pt47)100−xCux films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.We report on continuously graded anisotropy. During deposition, a compositional gradient is achieved by varying the Cu concentration from Cu-rich (Fe53Pt47)70Cu30 to Cu-free Fe53Pt47. The anisotropy gradient is then realized after annealing using the composition dependence of the low-anisotropy (A1) to high-anisotropy (L10) ordering temperature. The critical role of the annealing temperature on the resultant anisotropy gradient is investigated. Magnetic measurements support the creation of an anisotropy gradient in properly annealed films which exhibit both a reduced coercivity and moderate thermal stability. These results demonstrate that an anisotropy gradient can be realized, and tailored, in single continuous films without the need for multilayers

Probing vertically graded anisotropy in FePtCu films

Field-dependent polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) and magnetometry are employed to study the magnetic properties of compositionally uniform and graded FePtCu films as a function of annealing temperature (TA). The PNR results are able to directly probe the compositional and anisotropy variations through the film thickness. Further details about how the reversal mechanisms evolve are then elucidated by using a first-order reversal curve technique. The reversal of the graded sample annealed at 300º C occurs by an initial rapid switching of the dominant soft A1 phase toward the surface of the film, followed by the gradual reversal of the residual hard phase components toward the bottom. This indicates that the anisotropy gradient is not well established at this low TA. A fundamentally different mechanism is found after annealing at 400ºC, where the rapid switching of the entire film is preceded by a gradual reversal of the soft layers. This suggests that the anisotropy gradient has become better established through the film thickness. The field-dependent PNR measurements confirm the existence of an anisotropy gradient, where the lower (higher) anisotropy portions are now toward the bottom (top) of the film because of the Cu compositional gradient. However, after annealing at 500º C,a single rapid reversal is found, indicating the formation of a uniform hard film. In this case, PNR demonstrates a more uniform magnetic depth profile that is consistent with a uniform reference sample, suggesting significant interdiffusion of the Cu is degrading the compositional and induced anisotropy gradient at this elevated TA

First-order reversal curve analysis of graded anisotropy FePtCu films

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.The reversal mechanisms of graded anisotropy FePtCu films have been investigated by alternating gradient magnetometer AGM and magneto-optical Kerr effect MOKE measurements with first-order reversal curve FORC techniques. The AGM-FORC analysis, which clearly shows the presence of soft and hard components, is unable to resolve how these phases are distributed throughout the film thickness. MOKE-FORC measurements, which preferentially probe the surface of the film, reveal that the soft components are indeed located toward the top surface. Combining AGM-FORC with the inherent surface sensitivity of MOKE-FORC analysis allows for a comprehensive analysis of heterogeneous systems such as graded materials

Magnetic structure and anisotropy of [Co/Pd][subscript 5]/NiFe multilayers

The magnetization behavior, magnetic anisotropy, and domain configurations of Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy capped with permalloy is investigated using magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy, and ferromagnetic resonance. The thickness of the Ni80Fe20 layer in [Co/Pd][subscript 5]/NiFe (t) was varied from t=0 to 80 nm in order to study the interplay between the anisotropy and magnetization directions of Co/Pd and NiFe. By varying the thickness of the NiFe layer, the net anisotropy changes sign, but domains with plane-normal magnetization are present even for the thickest NiFe. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements show a decrease in damping with increasing NiFe thickness. The results demonstrate how the magnetic behavior of mixed-anisotropy thin films can be controlled