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| Effects of Rapid Thermal Annealing on Thermal Stability of FeMn Spin Valve Sensors |
| Journal of Magnetics, Volume 10, Number 2, 30 Jun 2005, Pages 52-57 |
Seung-young Park(School of Electronic Engineering, Soongsil University), Yeonbong Choi(School of Electronic Engineering, Soongsil University), Soonchul Jo*  (School of Electronic Engineering, Soongsil University) |
| Abstract |
| In this research, magnetoresistance (MR) ratio (MR), resistivity, and exchange coupling field (Hes)behaviors for sputter deposited spin valves with FeMn antiferromagnetic layer have been extensively investigated by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) as well as conventional annealing (CA) method. 10 s of RTA revealed that interdiffusion was not significant up to 325℃ at the interfaces between the layers when the RTA time was short. The MR of FeMn spin valves were reduced when the spin valves were exposed to temperature of 250℃, even for a short time period of 10 s prior to CA. Hes was maintained up to 325℃ of CA when the specimen was subjected to 10 s of RTA at 200℃ prior to CA, which is 25℃ higher than the result obtained from the CA without prior RTA. Therefore, the stability of Hes could be enhanced by a prior RTA before performing CA up to annealing temperature of 325℃. MR and sensitivity of the specimens annealed without magnetic field up to 275℃ were recovered to the values prior to CA, but Hes was not recovered. This means that reduced MR sensitivity and MR during the device fabrication can be recovered by a field RTA. |
| Keywords: GMR; spin valve; RTA; CA; thermal stability |
| DOI: |
| Full Text: PDF |
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