Abstract
Investigations were made into the relationship between the exchange-coupling properties and the IrMn crystal grain size for CoFe/IrMn spin valves. The IrMn crystal grain size increased with increasing thickness and decreasing oxygen content of the IrMn layer. The increase in the IrMn grain size resulted in a higher blocking temperature (TB) but a lower unidirectional anisotropy field (HUA). This opposite dependence of TB and HUA on the IrMn grain size is different from those of other antiferromagnetic films such as FeMn, NiMn, and CrMnPt. An HUA of 400 Oe at room temperature and a TB of 300°C are obtained for CoFe (2 nm)/IrMn (10 nm) spin valves by controlling the oxygen content of the IrMn layer.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3680-3682 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
Volume | 75 |
Issue number | 23 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1999 Dec 6 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)