Publication Date:
2015-12-29
Description:
Titanium nitride (TiN) shows low resistivity at room temperature (27 μ Ω cm), high thermal stability and thus has the potential to serve as seed layer in magnetic tunnel junctions. High quality TiN thin films with regard to the crystallographic and electrical properties were grown and characterized by x-ray diffraction and 4-terminal transport measurements. Element specific x-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed pure TiN inside the thin films. To investigate the influence of a TiN seed layer on a ferro(i)magnetic bottom electrode in magnetic tunnel junctions, an out-of-plane magnetized Mn 2.45 Ga as well as in- and out-of-plane magnetized Co 2 FeAl thin films were deposited on a TiN buffer, respectively. The magnetic properties were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device and anomalous Hall effect for Mn 2.45 Ga. Magneto optical Kerr effect measurements were carried out to investigate the magnetic properties of Co 2 FeAl. TiN buffered Mn 2.45 Ga thin films showed higher coercivity and squareness ratio compared to unbuffered samples. The Heusler compound Co 2 FeAl showed already good crystallinity when grown at room temperature on a TiN seed-layer.
Print ISSN:
0021-8979
Electronic ISSN:
1089-7550
Topics:
Physics
