Effects of substrate temperature and annealing on the anisotropic magnetoresistive property of NiFe films

Ni_(83)Fe_(17) films with a thickness of about 100 nm were deposited onthermal oxidized silicon substrates at ambient temperature, 240, 350, and 410℃ by DC magnetronsputtering. The deposition rate was about 0.11 nm/s. The as-deposited films were annealed at 450,550, and 650℃, respectively, in a vacuum lower than 3 x 10~3 Pa for 1 h. The Ni_(83)Fe_(17) filmsmainly grow with a crystalline orientation of [111] in the direction of the film growth. With theannealing temperature increasing, the [111] orientation enhances. For films deposited at all fourdifferent temperatures, the significant improvement on anisotropic magnetoresistance occurs at theannealing temperature higher than 550℃. But for films deposited at ambient temperatures and 240 ℃,the anisotropic magnetoresistance can only rise to about 1% after 650 ℃ annealing. For filmsdeposited at 350℃ and 410℃, the anisotropic magnetoresistance rises to about 3.8% after 650℃annealing. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation shows a significant increase in grain sizeof the film deposited at 350℃ after 650℃ annealing. The decrease in resistivity and the increasein anisotropic magnetoresistance are caused by the decrease in point defects, the increase in grainsize, and the improvement in lattice structure integrity of the films.

Research progress in anisotropic magnetoresistance

Anisotropic magnetoresistance （AMR） is an important physical phenomenon that has broad application potential in many relevant fields. Thus, AMR is one of the most attractive research directions in material science to date. In this article, we summarize the recent advances in AMR, including traditional permalloy AMR, tunnel AMR, ballistic AMR, Coulomb blockade AMR, anomalous AMR, and antiferromagnetic AMR. The existing problems and possible challenges in developing more advanced AMR were briefly discussed, and future development trends and prospects were also speculated.

Anisotropic Magnetoresistance Effect in Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Fe(Cu,Nb)-Si-B Alloys

The magnetoresistance effect and magnetic properties in amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe(Cu, Nb)-Si-B ribbons have been investigated, it was observed that the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of nanocrystalline alloy is much smaller than that of amorphous alloy, Indicating that the anisotropy of nanocrystalline alloy becomes smaller after crystallizing, and the smallest AMR is coincident with the excellent soft magnetic characteristics. It is believed that the smaller magnetic crystalline anisotropy is the origin of the excellent soft magnetic characteristics of nanocrystalline alloy.

Gate-Voltage-Induced Magnetization Reversal and Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in a Single Molecular Magnet with Temperature Gradient

We study the coutrol of gate voltage over the magnetization of a single-molecule magnet （SMM） weakly coupled to a ferromagnetic and a normal metal electrode in the presence of the temperature gradient between two electrodes. It is demonstrated that the SMM＇s magnetization can change periodically with periodic gate voltage due to the driving oI the temperature gradient. Under an appropriate matching of the electrode polarization, the temperature difference and the pulse width of gate voltage, the SMM＇s magnetization can be completely reversed in a period of gate voltage. The corresponding flipping time can be controlled by the system parameters. In addition, we also investigate the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance （TAMFt） of the device in the steady state when the ferromagnetic electrode is noncollinear with the easy axis of the SMM, and show the jump characteristic of the TAMR.

Electric modulation of anisotropic magnetoresistance in Pt/HfO_(2-x)/NiO_(y)/Ni heterojunctions

Electric field control of magnetism through nanoionics has attracted tremendous attention owing to its high efficiency and low power consumption.In solid-state dielectrics,an electric field drives the redistribution of ions to create onedimensional magnetic conductive nanostructures,enabling the realization of intriguing magnetoresistance(MR)effects.Here,we explored the electric-controlled nickel and oxygen ion migration in Pt/HfO_(2-x)/NiO_(y)/Ni heterojunctions for MR modulation.By adjusting the voltage polarity and amplitude,the magnetic conductive filaments with mixed nickel and oxygen vacancy are constructed.This results in the reduction of device resistance by~10^(3)folds,and leads to an intriguing partial asymmetric MR effect.We show that the difference of the device resistance under positive and negative saturation magnetic fields exhibits good linear dependence on the magnetic field angle,which can be used for magnetic field direction detection.Our study suggests the potential of electrically controlled ion migration in creating novel magnetic nanostructures for sensor applications.

Nonmonotonic anomalous Hall effect and anisotropic magnetoresistance in SrRuO_(3)/PbZr_(0.52)Ti_(0.48)O_(3)heterostructures

We fabricate SrRuO_(3)/PbZr_(0.52)Ti_(0.48)O_(3)heterostructures each with an in-plane tensile-strained SrRuO_(3)layer and investigate the effect of an applied electric field on anomalous Hall effect.The four-fold symmetry of anisotropic magnetoresistance and the nonmonotonic variation of anomalous Hall resistivity are observed.By applying positive electric field or negative electric field,the intersecting hump-like feature is suppressed or enhanced,respectively.The sign and magnitude of the anomalous Hall conductivity can be effectively controlled with an electric field under a high magnetic field.The electric-field-modulated anomalous Hall effect is associated with the magnetization rotation in SrRuO_(3).The experimental results are helpful in modulating the magnetization rotation in spintronic devices based on SrRuO_(3)heterostructures.

Sign reversal of anisotropic magnetoresistance and anomalous thickness-dependent resistivity in Sr_(2)CrWO_(6)/SrTiO_(3) films

High-quality Sr_(2)CrWO_(6)(SCWO) films have been grown on SrTiO_(3)(STO) substrate by pulsed laser deposition under low oxygen pressure. With decrease of the film thickness, a drastic conductivity increase is observed. The Hall measurements show that the thicker the film, the lower the carrier density. An extrinsic mechanism of charge doping due to the dominance of oxygen vacancies at SCWO/STO interfaces is proposed. The distribution and gradient of carrier concentration in SCWO films are considered to be related to this phenomenon. Resistivity behavior observed in these films is found to follow the variable range hopping model. It is revealed that with increase of the film thickness, the extent of disorder in the lattice increases, which gives a clear evidence of disorder-induced localization charge carriers in these films.Magnetoresistance measurements show that there is a negative magnetoresistance in SCWO films, which is considered to be caused by the magnetic scattering of magnetic elements Cr^(3+) and W^(5+). In addition, a sign reversal of anisotropic magnetoresistance(AMR) in SCWO film is observed for the first time, when the temperature varies across a characteristic value, T_(M). Magnetization-temperature measurements demonstrate that this AMR sign reversal is caused by the direction transition of easy axis of magnetization from the in-plane ferromagnetic order at T > T_(M) to the out-of-plane at T < T_(M).

Anisotropic Magnetoresistivity in Semimetal TaSb_2

We investigate the anisotropic magnetic transports in topological semimetal TaSb2. The compound shows the large magnetoresistance（MR） without saturation and the metal-insulator-like transition no matter whether the magnetic field is parallel to c-axis or a-axis, except that the MR for B‖c is almost twice as large as that of B‖a at low temperatures. The adopted Kohler＇s rule can be obeyed by the MR at distinct temperatures for B‖c,but it is slightly violated as B‖a. The angle-dependent MR measurements exhibit the two-fold rotational symmetry below70 K,consistent with the monoclinic crystal structure of TaSb2. The dumbbell-like picture of angle-dependent MR in TaSb2 suggests a strongly anisotropic Fermi surface at low temperatures. However, it finally loses the two-fold symmetry over 70 K, implying a possible topological phase transition at around the temperature where Tm is related to a metal-insulator-like transition under magnetic fields.

Anomalous anisotropic magnetoresistance in single-crystalline Co/SrTiO_(3)(001)heterostructures

The anisotropic magnetoresistances(AMRs)in single crystalline Co(6 nm)/SrTiO_(3)(001)heterostructures from 5 K to 300 K with the current direction setting along either Co[100]or Co[110]are investigated in this work.The anomalous(normal)AMR is observed below(above)100 K.With the current along Co[100]direction,the AMR shows negative longitudinal and positive transverse magnetoresistances at T<100 K,while the AMR is inverse with the current along Co[110].Meanwhile,the amplitude ratio between Co[110]and Co[100]is observed to be as large as 29 at 100 K.A crystal symmetry-adapted model of AMR demonstrates that interplay between the non-crystalline component and crossed AMR component results in the anomalous AMR.Our results may reveal more intriguing magneto-transport behaviors of film on SrTiO_(3)or other perovskite oxides.

Modelling Magnetoresistance Effect in Limited Anisotropic Semiconductors

A macroscopic model of the magnetoresistance effect in fimited anisotropic semiconductors is built. This model allows us to solve the problem of measurement of physical magnetoresistance components of crystals and films. Based on a unified mathematical model the method is worked out enabling us to measure tensor components of the specific electrical resistance and the relative magnetoresistance of anisotropic semiconductors simultaneously.

Effect of nano-oxide layers on the magnetoresistance of ultrathin permalloy films

Ta/NiFe/Ta ultrathin films with and without nano-oxide layers （NOLs） were prepared by magnetron sputtering followed by a vacuum annealing process. The influence of NOLs on the magnetoresistance （MR） ratio of ultrathin permalloy films was studied. The results show that the influence of grain size and textures on the MR ratio becomes weak when the thickness of the NiFe layer is below 15 nm. A higher MR ratio was observed for the thinner （〈 15 nm） NiFe film with NOLs. The MR ratio of a 10 nm NiFe film can be remarkably enhanced by NOLs. The enhanced MR ratio for these ultrathin films can be attributed to the enhanced specular reflection of conduction electrons.

Dependence of Magnetic Properties and Microstructure of Ni_(81)Fe_(19) Film on Base Vacuum and Sputtering Pressure

The Ni_81Fe_19 / Ta films with different NiFe thickness were prepared atdifferent base vacuums and sputtering pressures. The results of magnetic measurement and atomicforce microscope (AFM) showed that the films prepared at higher base vacuum and lower sputteringpressure had larger DELTAR/R. The reason should be that higher base vacuum and lower sputteringpressure introduce larger grainsize and lower surface roughness, which will weaken the scattering ofelectrons, reduce the resistance R, and increase DELTAR/R.

Magnetic properties and structure of very thin permalloy films

In order to study the magnetic properties and structure of very thinpermalloy films, Ni_(81)Fe_(19) films of 12 nm in thickness were prepared by different instrumentsat an ultrahigh base vacuum and a lower base vacuum. The anisotropic magnetoresistance coefficients(ΔR/R) of Ni_(81)Fe_(19) (12 nm) films reached 1.6 % and 0.6 %, and the coercivities were 127 and334 A/m, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were usedto study the structure and surface chemical state. The experimental results show that the filmsprepared at the ultrahigh base vacuum have a smoother surface, a bigger grain size and a denserstructure with fewer defects than those prepared at the lower base vacuum.

Manipulating magnetic anisotropies of Co/MgO(001) ultrathin films via oblique deposition

We present a systematic investigation of magnetic anisotropy induced by oblique deposition of Co thin films on MgO（001） substrates by molecular beam epitaxy at different deposition angles,i.e.,0？,30？,45？,60？,and 75？with respect to the surface normal.Low energy electron diffraction（LEED）,surface magneto–optical Kerr effect（SMOKE）,and anisotropic magnetoresistance（AMR） setups were employed to investigate the magnetic properties of cobalt films.The values of in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy（UMA） constant Ku and four-fold magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K1 were derived from magnetic torque curves on the base of AMR results.It was found that the value of Ku increases with increasing deposition angle with respect to the surface normal,while the value of K_1 remains almost constant for all the samples.Furthermore,by using MOKE results,the Ku values of the films deposited obliquely were also derived from the magnetization curves along hard axis.The results of AMR method were then compared with that of hard axis fitting method（coherent rotation） and found that both methods have almost identical values of UMA constant for each sample.

Tunable perpendicular anisotropic magnetoresistance in CoO/Co/Pt heterostructures

Transport properties of magnetron-sputtered CoO/Co/Pt heterostructures were investigated by physical property measurement system.Different types of magnetoresistance are observed in the heterostructures,including isotropic anisotropic magnetoresistance(AMR),AMR with geometric size effect,and interfacial effect.A reversal in sign of perpendicular AMR is found in the film CoO(3 nm)/Co(3 nm)/Pt(3 nm)compared to the film CoO(3 nm)/Co(3 nm)/CoO(3 nm),which is associated with Pt.Moreover,perpendicular AMR is tunable in the films CoO(3 nm)/Co(3 nm)/CoO(t)/Pt(3 nm)and CoO(3 nm)/Co(3 nm)/Pt(t)/CoO(3 nm)at will,with either positive or negative value,by varying the inserting layer thickness.The electronic structure information of the samples was measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The spin-related transport and XPS results manifest that magnetic proximity effect,surface scattering,together with oxygen migration contribute to the tunable function of Pt.

Construction of high-performance magnetic sensor based on anisotropic magnetoresistance Ta/MgO/NiFe/MgO/Ta film

The anisotropic magnetoresistance film is an important core material for developing the magnetic sensors.Here,Ta(5)/Mg O(3)/Ni Fe(10)/Mg O(3)/Ta(3)multilayers(in nanometer)were prepared by magnetron sputtering and further applied to construct a sensor element by combining with the Wheatstone bridge.The 1/f noise of the sensor element was greatly reduced by three orders of magnitude after annealing at 400℃for 7200 s,which was mainly due to the significant microstructural changes during the annealing.However,when the sensor element was applied to detect the magnetic signal of a magnetic code disk with 512 N-S magnetic poles,the output voltage signal of the sensor displayed a large fluctuation of±0.05 V.In order to reduce the voltage fluctuation,a magnetic sensor chip by using a parallelly arranged multipath Wheatstone bridges and auto-gain compensation structure was designed,and magnetic sensor elements and the high-performance computing drive module were prepared.The output voltage fluctuation of the magnetic sensor was reduced by about 90%and approached to±0.005 V.These findings provide an important basis for the practical application of Ni Fe-based magnetic sensing film materials.

Room temperature ferromagnetism in ultra-thin van der Waals crystals of 1T-CrTe2

Although many emerging new phenomena have been unraveled in two dimensional(2D)materials with long-range spin orderings,the usually low critical temperature in van der Waals(vdW)magnetic material has thus far hindered the related practical applications.Here,we show that ferromagnetism can hold above 300 K in a metallic phase of 1T-CrTe2 down to the ultra-thin limit.It thus makes CrTe2 so far the only known exfoliated ultra-thin vdW magnets with intrinsic long-range magnetic ordering above room temperature.An in-plane room-temperature negative anisotropic magnetoresistance(AMR)was obtained in ultra-thin CrTe2 devices,with a sign change in the AMR at lower temperature,with−0.6%and+5%at 300 and 10 K,respectively.Our findings provide insights into magnetism in ultra-thin CrTe2,expanding the vdW crystals toolbox for future room-temperature spintronic applications.