A microstructural study of annealed Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films

X. Portier; A. K. Petford-Long; P. Bayle-Guillemaud; T. C. Anthony; J. A. Brug

doi:10.1063/1.120662

A microstructural study of annealed Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films

X. Portier^*, A. K. Petford-Long, P. Bayle-Guillemaud, T. C. Anthony, J. A. Brug

^*Corresponding author for this work

Materials Science and Engineering

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

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spin-valve properties are adversely affected by heat treatments and in order to study this effect, microstructural analyses of Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films annealed at 225 and at 290°C have been performed. Whereas the lower temperature tends to optimize the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio, the higher temperature induces a significant decrease in the GMR ratio (from 7.5% to 5.2%). High resolution electron microscopy studies have explained this result as being due to the formation of a TiCo alloy at the Ti/Co interface and to a decrease in the thickness of the sense layer. No significant modification of either the Co/Cu or the Cu/Co interfaces has been observed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	118-120
Number of pages	3
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	72
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.120662
State	Published - Dec 1 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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title = "A microstructural study of annealed Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films",

abstract = "Spin-valve properties are adversely affected by heat treatments and in order to study this effect, microstructural analyses of Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films annealed at 225 and at 290°C have been performed. Whereas the lower temperature tends to optimize the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio, the higher temperature induces a significant decrease in the GMR ratio (from 7.5% to 5.2%). High resolution electron microscopy studies have explained this result as being due to the formation of a TiCo alloy at the Ti/Co interface and to a decrease in the thickness of the sense layer. No significant modification of either the Co/Cu or the Cu/Co interfaces has been observed.",

author = "X. Portier and Petford-Long, {A. K.} and P. Bayle-Guillemaud and Anthony, {T. C.} and Brug, {J. A.}",

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T1 - A microstructural study of annealed Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films

AU - Portier, X.

AU - Petford-Long, A. K.

AU - Bayle-Guillemaud, P.

AU - Anthony, T. C.

AU - Brug, J. A.

PY - 1998/12/1

Y1 - 1998/12/1

N2 - Spin-valve properties are adversely affected by heat treatments and in order to study this effect, microstructural analyses of Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films annealed at 225 and at 290°C have been performed. Whereas the lower temperature tends to optimize the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio, the higher temperature induces a significant decrease in the GMR ratio (from 7.5% to 5.2%). High resolution electron microscopy studies have explained this result as being due to the formation of a TiCo alloy at the Ti/Co interface and to a decrease in the thickness of the sense layer. No significant modification of either the Co/Cu or the Cu/Co interfaces has been observed.

AB - Spin-valve properties are adversely affected by heat treatments and in order to study this effect, microstructural analyses of Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films annealed at 225 and at 290°C have been performed. Whereas the lower temperature tends to optimize the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio, the higher temperature induces a significant decrease in the GMR ratio (from 7.5% to 5.2%). High resolution electron microscopy studies have explained this result as being due to the formation of a TiCo alloy at the Ti/Co interface and to a decrease in the thickness of the sense layer. No significant modification of either the Co/Cu or the Cu/Co interfaces has been observed.

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A microstructural study of annealed Ti/Co/Cu/Co/MnFe/Ti spin-valve films

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