Consistency of spin-valve stack deposition, both wafer-to-wafer and within a wafer, is key to the manufacturability of GMR heads. For typical GMR heads, film thicknesses are now in the range of 5Å-150Å and process control is becoming a challenge.

This paper discusses the importance of characterizing the thickness and uniformity of each material in the spin-valve stack within the context of single layer sheet films. For this study, single layer sheet films and full multilayer spin-valve stacks were deposited in a multi-target cluster tool. The sheet resistance and thickness of the single layer sheet films were measured using a 4-point probe and ellipsometry, respectively. Results were then correlated to the sheet resistance and magnetic performance (i.e., GMR ratio, exchange field, and magneto-static coupling field) of the full spin-valve stacks with a synthetic antiferromagnet as the pinned layer. The 1σ < 2% uniformity, wafer-to-wafer and within wafer, realized for the full stacks is a strong indicator of a manufacturable process.

Model calculations of the sheet resistance and GMR were carried out to provide theoretical understanding of the film thickness dependence. The calculated results are well correlated with the experimental measurements. The model is based on band structures and implicitly includes the momentum-dependent reflection and transmission coefficients at the interfaces.

Results from both experiments and calculations show that process control and repeatability (both within a wafer and from wafer to wafer) are crucial to the spin-valve manufacturability, offering a critical challenge to the disc drive industry as it heads into the next generation of GMR heads.

Intermetallics of the type Nd2Co15−xFexSi2Cy (x=7; 9; 12 and y=0; 1) were prepared by arc melting in order to study the competing effects of Fe and Co substitutions on the magnetic hyperfine fields as well as the effects of interstitial carbon additions on the symmetry and local magnetic properties in these systems. The investigations were performed by x-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and hysteresis loop measurements. Both site and average hyperfine magnetic field values were analyzed in order to discriminate between the Fe and Co contributions to the local atomic environments in these systems. While a higher Fe content as well as a higher Co content can both lead to an increase in the site magnetic fields, it was found that the model based on hyperfine field distributions provides a better description of the trends observed in hyperfine magnetic fields in these compounds.

In an effort to achieve high magnetoresistance ratios at high temperature and low fields, we have fabricated superlattice structures consisting of La0.7MnO3−δ (LMO) and Pr0.65Ba0.05Ca0.3MnO3−δ (PBCMO) systems where La0.7MnO3−δ is believed to act as a ferromagnetic biasing source to Pr0.65Ba0.05Ca0.3MnO3−Δ. LMO and PBCMO individually transform to ferromagnetic states at 240 K and 60 K respectively. A series of samples, in which the thickness of La0.7MnO3−δ is fixed and that of Pr0.65Ba0.05Ca0.3MnO3−δ varied from 1 to 8 unit cells, have been grown in situ on (100) LaAlO3 substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. Microstructural characterization carried out on these films show the presence of characteristic intense satellite peaks indicating the chemical modulation of the superlattice structure. The insulator-to-metal transition and the MR ratio, defined as [R(0)-R(H)/R(H)], where R(0) and R(H) are resistances in zero and applied fields, is found to vary with the number of unit cells. The samples with 1, 2, 5 and 8 unit cells of Pr0.65Ba0.05Ca0.3MnO3−δ show a transition temperature of 240 K, 230 K, 150 K and 160 K and MR ratio of 540%, 592%, 3150% and 2875 % respectively. We have observed an enhancement of magnetoresistance ratio in case of superlattices with thickness of PBCMO greater than 5 unit cells. We attribute this enhancement to a ferromagnetic biasing provided by the LMO layers acting as a ferromagnetic film below its transition temperature.

We demonstrate that two-phase CrO2 and Cr2O3 thin films can be grown by using selective organometallic chemical vapor deposition through the oxidation of Cr(CO)6 in an oxygen environment. While the magnetization measurements show that both chromium oxides are present, the relative weight of each phase depends on the oxygen partial pressure. Changes of the Curie temperature, Tc, and the saturation magnetization field may be possible by controlling the stoichiometry.

Sputter-deposited Co/Cu multilayers at the 1st antiferromagnetic maximum (tCu= 9Å) exhibit large magnetoresistance and low relative hysteresis and are attractive for use in many position sensor applications. Unfortunately, their large magnetoresistance values can be hard to reproduce, perhaps a consequence of the difficulties in growing flat, pin-hole free layers. In this study we demonstrate that their magnetoresistive properties can be improved with the addition O2 to the Ar sputtering gas. A sequence of [Co(15Å)/Cu(9Å)]20 multilayers were made using magnetron sputtering in a 2mTorr Ar+O2 atmosphere, with the O2 concentration ranging from <1 ppm to 10,000 ppm. For films sputtered in our purest Ar, the magnetoresistance was typically less than 10%. Adding small amounts of O2 to the Ar improved the magnetoresistance, and at 1000 ppm O2 concentration it reached an optimal value of ∼45% and was found to be quite reproducible. The largest saturation fields were also achieved at 1000 ppm O2. Increasing the O2 concentration beyond 1000 ppm degraded the magnetoresistance and reduced the saturation fields. Magnetic measurements indicate that the improved magnetoresistance for films sputtered in Ar + O2 is primarily a consequence of more complete antiferromagnetic ordering at low fields. Auger depth profiling revealed no evidence for the O2 incorporation into the films, even for those fabricated in 10,000 ppm O2. Influence of the O2 on the microstructure of the multilayers is discussed.

Iron-carbon based hard, martensitic alloys are usually produced by conventional high temperature heat treatment. In the present work, the galvanostatic electrodeposition method has been employed to obtain hard Fe-0.96 mass % C and Fe-15.4 mass% Ni-0.70 mass% C alloys at around room temperature. The alloys have been investigated by SEM, XPS, XRD, and microhardness measurements, and their magnetic properties have been studied by vibrating sample magnetometer.

The as-deposited alloys were found to possess high mechanical hardness, 750-810 HV. Both alloys exhibit a smoother surface morphology as compared to a non-alloyed iron film obtained under similar electrochemical conditions. The coercive force of the as-deposited Fe-C and Fe-Ni-C alloys is 3930 and 494 A.m−1 respectively. In comparison, pure iron film deposited under similar conditions possesses a coercive force of 1592 A.m−1. The Fe-Ni-C alloy has a combination of high mechanical hardness and relatively soft magnetic properties, which may be of interest in potential applications requiring both soft magnetic properties and improved tribological performance. The effects of annealing on the behavior of the alloys are discussed.

We present the results of a first principles based semi-classical study of electronic transport in Co/C/u/Co spin valves. The model is parameterized using Bloch states obtained from local spin-density electronic structure calculations and lifetimes appropriate to sputtered films. The approach is used to study the variation in giant magnetoresistance (GMR) with the individual layer thicknesses. Using values for the lifetimes for electrons in the Co and Cu layers that reproduce the resistivities of sputtered films, we are able to rationalize the variation in the current in the plane (CIP) GMR in a set of Co/Cu/Co spin valves produced under similar conditions. Important contributions to the GMR come from two sources, a channeling effect in the Cu which is a direct result of the different sized Fermi spheres for majority Cu and Co electrons, and from within a region in the Co layers within about one to two mean free paths of the interface. Unlike the CIP GMR, values for the current perpendicular to the plane (CPP) GMR are much larger and much less sensitive the variations in the individual layer thicknesses.

We have investigated the growth of thin films of Cu and Co by CVD using the β-diketonate complexes of the metals, viz., the respective acetylacetonates, dipivaloylmethanates, and ketocarboxylates. Film growth rate was measured as a function of CVD parameters such as substrate temperature and reactor pressure. Film microstructure was examined by optical microscopy, XRD, SEM, and STM. Electrical resistivity was measured as a function of temperature and film thickness. It was found that film microstructure is a function of the molecular structure of the precursor and of the other growth parameters. For example, Cu films from Cu(II) ethylacetoacetate comprise uniform, fine grains which result in bulk electrical conductivity at a thickness as small as 75nm. Though grown under nearly the same conditions, Cu films from Cu(II) dipivaloylmethanate are porous, with faceted, large crystallites. Cobalt films from Co(II) acetylacetonate are x-ray amorphous even at a deposition temperature of 450°C. It is possible, by choosing CVD parameters, to obtain metal films with microstructures appropriate to devices and to structures of very small dimensions.

Nanocomposite Co-C thin films of about 15 nm thick were prepared by pulsed filtered vacuum arc deposition. The films were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, non-Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, x-ray diffraction, magnetic force microscopy and magnetic measurements. The as-deposited films were amorphous. After annealing at 350°C for one hour in vacuum (< 10−3 Pa), the films were found to consist of nanocrystalline Co grains encapsulated in carbon. The superparamagnetism of the annealed Co36C64 film was demonstrated by the measurement of DC susceptibility and magnetic hysteresis using a SQUID magnetometer. The superparamagnetic relaxation blocking temperature was marked to be about 12K by the peak of the zero-field-cooled magnetization under a field of 100 Oe. The magnetic properties of these annealed granular Co-C films transform from superparamagnetism to ferromagnetism when the Co concentration increases.

Electron spin resonance studies on fine powders of La0.65Ca0.35MnO3, performed in the X band, are reported. The coexistence of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic phases, in a narrow temperature range close to the Curie temperature, is observed. The electron spin resonance measurements do not support the presence of bipolarons above the Curie temperature. Temperature dependence of the ESR linewidth is governed by the hopping of polarons and the corresponding activation energy is about 150 meV above TC.

A patterned magnetic medium is the next step to significantly increasing data storage density. To attain extreme density, it is necessary to deal with the smallest granules (each storing a bit of information) admissible from the physical point of view. It is well known that the volume of such granules, and their aspect ratio, have to be large enough to prevent thermally activated magnetization relaxation. However, these requirements are not exhaustive. A patterned recording medium is a set of closely-spaced, aligned magnetic granules, with the random (“up” and “down”) orientations of granules' magnetic moments. Though the exchange interactions between the granules may be neglected, there are long-range intergranular dipole-dipole interactions (DDI) which lead to significant lowering of activation barrier preventing thermal relaxation. Those interactions limit the acceptable density of ferromagnetic granules, and hence, reduce the extreme density of data storage. Our numerical calculations estimate the negative role of DDI for the particular case of a two-dimensional set of ellipsoidal magnetic granules and allow us to determine the extreme density of data storage.

This article presents a transmission electron microscopic (TEM) investigation of the relationship between the magnetic and underlayer grain sizes in CoCrPtTa/CrMo longitudinal magnetic recording media. A great deal of effort has been expended on decreasing the underlayer grain size in order to decrease that of the magnetic layer. However, our results show that the two grain sizes may not always correlate. When the underlayer (CrMo) grains are sufficiently small, the magnetic layer (CoCrPtTa) grain size does not necessarily decrease with further underlayer grain size reduction. By carefully controlling the processing conditions, CrMo grain sizes were made to vary from 16nm down to 10nm. However, the corresponding CoCrPtTa grain sizes remained nearly the same. As the underlayer grain size decreased, the ratio of magnetic to underlayer grain size increased from 0.9 to 1.4.

High saturation magnetization soft magnetic materials are required for future high-density recording heads as well as high frequency inductors. In this work, (Fe0.7Co0.3)1−xNx (or in short FeCoN) alloy films were synthesized with a high saturation magnetization of 24.5 kG, a hard axis coercivity of 5 Oe, an easy axis coercivity of 18 Oe, and a resistivity of 55 μΩcm. The FeCoN film sandwiched between two permalloy layers (5 nm) shows very good magnetic softness, a low hard axis coercivity of 0.6 Oe, an easy axis coercivity of 7.8 Oe, an excellent in-plane uniaxial anisotropy with an anisotropy of about 20 Oe, an initial permeability of 1000, and a roll-off frequency of 1.5 GHz. In order to understand the effect of the permalloy layers on the FeCoN layer, we fabricated four film structures: single layer FeCoN film; FeCoN film sandwiched between two permalloy layers on both sides; FeCoN film with one permalloy layer as the underlayer; and FeCoN film with one permalloy layer as caplayer. All these film structures were both magnetically and structurally characterized and compared. Structural characterization shows that there is no significant difference in the grain size of the FeCoN single layer and the FeCoN layer sandwiched between two permalloy layers. The four film structures have almost the same amount of compressive stress, about −300 MPa; and their saturation magnetostriction constants are also very close, in the range of 39.6×10−6 to 44.3×10−6. Difference in the crystallographic textures was observed in the pole figures for the FeCoN single layer and FeCoN film with permalloy underlayer.

A wide variety of GMR and CMR materials have been patterned by high density plasma etching in both corrosive (Cl2-based) and non-corrosive (CO/NH3) plasma chemistries. The former produce much higher etch rates but require careful in-situ or ex-situ, post-etch cleaning to prevent corrosion of the metallic multilayers. The former may have application for shallow etching of NiFe-based structures, but there is little chemical contribution to the etch mechanism and mask erosion can be a problem. The magnetic performance of patterned MRAM elements is stable over long periods (>1 year) after etching in Cl2 plasmas, provided a suitable cleaning protocol is followed. It is also clear that high ion energies during patterning of magnetic materials can have a significant influence on their coercivity. The effects of ion energy, ion flux and process temperature are discussed.

TEM provides fast and statistical support for magnetic recording media development. Turn-around time including sample preparation, data collection and computer analysis is reduced to ∼3 hours. Rapid, systematic TEM analysis is shown to accurately measure crystallographic Orientation Ratio (OR) on mechanically textured media by diffraction analysis; elucidate grain separation by Weak Beam Dark Field Imaging; and determine the crystallographic relationship between cubic-NiAl seed layers and hexagonal cobalt-alloy (Co) layers. Novel evidence for reduction of the number of preferred orientations in sequentially grown epitaxial films is presented, which explains the “2-&-1/4-D isotropic” growth orientation and the high magnetic squareness of Co media grown on nearly randomly oriented “3D-isotropic” NiAl underlayers.

Anisotropy fields in excesss of 120kA/m(1500Oe)have been produced in 3 nm to 5 nm thick polycrystalline films of Co with Ta underlayers. The unusualy high anisotropy is magnetostatic in origin, and is induced by corrugations on the surface of an obliquely sputtered Ta underlayer. Cross-sectional TEM reveas 8 nm columnar grains of Ta tilted toward the Ta source and elongated perpendicuar to the Ta flux in the film plane. The anisotropy field of the Co film increases with both the underlayer thickness and the angle between theTa source and the film normal. In spin valve samples, the anisotropy is attenuated by more than an order of magnitude across a 4nm thick Cu spacer. Magnetoresistance measurements on a spin valve indicate less than 2° dispersion in hard axis directions, and despite the nanometer-scale roughness of the underlayer, there is weak broadening of the ferromagnetic resonance line.

Clear evidence for high efficiency spin-polarized electron transport across ferromagnet/semiconductor Schottky barrier interfaces was observed in Ni80Fe20/GaAs structures. Circularly polarized light was used to excite electrons with a spin polarization perpendicular to the film plane. At negative bias, an almost constant difference between the helicity-dependent photocurrent obtained for the magnetization parallel and perpendicular to the photon helicity was detected. An effective asymmetry, A, was also estimated from the helicity-dependent photocurrent difference, attributed to spin-polarized electron tunneling from GaAs to NiFe (spin filtering). A decreases with increasing photon energy, which is consistent with the energy-dependence of the asymmetry of photoexcited electrons in GaAs. Weak spin injection from NiFe to GaAs was seen at a bias corresponding to the Schottky barrier height, which is likely to occur via a ballistic process.

Epitaxial Cu/Py/FeMn and (Cu/Co)×20 GMR magnetic multilayers were grown on single crystal (011) Nb that was deposited on (1121) Al2O3 substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. Electron backscatter patterns (EBSPs) revealed that the Cu films display two twin variants, corresponding to two stacking sequences of {111} planes in fcc. The epitaxial orientation relationship between the bcc Nb and both fcc Cu variants was the Nishiyama-Wasserman (N-W) relationship. Conventional TEM observations revealed epitaxial growth for both the Cu/Py/FeMn and (Cu/Co)×20 multilayers. High-resolution TEM confirmed epitaxial growth of close packed (011) Nb on (1120) Al2O3 substrates with [111]Nb∥[0001]Al2O3. Numerous small twins were observed in the Cu near the Cu-Nb interface of the Cu/Py/FeMn multilayer. In the Cu/Co multilayer, the growth planes of the Cu and Co were found to be {100} instead of the expected close-packed {111} planes of the fcc structure.

Thin-film magnetic sensor and memory devices in future generations may benefit from a processing tool for final-step etching and smoothing of surfaces to nearly an atomic scale. Gas-cluster ion-beam (GCIB) systems make possible improved surface sputtering and processing for many types of materials. We propose application of GCIB processing as a key smoothing step in thin-film magnetic-materials technology, especially spin-valve GMR. Results of argon GCIB etching and smoothing of surfaces of alumina, silicon, permalloy and tantalum films are reported. No accumulating roughness or damage is observed. The distinct scratches and tracks seen in atomic-force microscopy of CMP-processed surfaces, are removed almost entirely by subsequent GCIB processing. The technique primarily reduces high spatial-frequency roughness and renders the topographic surface elevations more nearly gaussian (randomly distributed).