In-situ characterization of oxide growth for fabricating spin-dependent tunnel junctions

Author

Wee, Andrew T.A. ; Wang, Shan X. ; Sin, Kyusik

Author_Institution

Dept. of Mater. Sci. & Eng., Stanford Univ., CA, USA

Volume

35

Issue

5

fYear

1999

fDate

9/1/1999 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2949

Lastpage

2951

Abstract

Ni₄₅Fe₅₅-Al₂O₃-Ni ₄₅Fe₅₅ spin dependent tunneling junctions with an MR ratio of ~16.5% have been fabricated. The Al₂O₃ barriers are formed by plasma oxidation, and the oxide growth is characterized by in-situ resistive measurements. The oxide barrier growth mode is greatly affected by process parameters, including shutter configuration, gas composition, and plasma power. The changes in oxide thickness can be modeled by a combination of the linear growth law and the generalized Mott-Cabrera law

Keywords

MIM structures; alumina; ferromagnetic materials; giant magnetoresistance; interface magnetism; iron alloys; nickel alloys; oxidation; plasma materials processing; tunnelling; Al₂O₃ barriers; MR ratio; Ni₄₅Fe₅₅-Al₂O₃-Ni ₄₅Fe₅₅; Ni₄₅Fe₅₅/Al₂O₃/Ni ₄₅Fe₅₅ spin dependent tunneling junctions; fabrication; gas composition; generalized Mott-Cabrera law; in-situ characterization; in-situ resistive measurements; linear growth law; oxide barrier growth mode; oxide growth; oxide thickness; plasma oxidation; plasma power; process parameters; shutter configuration; spin-dependent tunnel junctions; Annealing; Artificial intelligence; Electrical resistance measurement; Electrodes; Oxidation; Plasma applications; Plasma materials processing; Plasma measurements; Surface resistance; Tunneling;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Magnetics, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9464

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/20.801043

Filename

801043