• Electrical & Electronic Materials
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.558-563
• /
• 1995

Dynamic characteristics of TbFeCo magneto-optical recording media at 680nm wavelength region were studied by means of computer simulation of disc structure and optimization of process variables during sputter deposition. With the slightly reduced Kerr rotation angle due to the reduced wavelength of optical laser source, the improved recording density in TbFeCo magneto optical media showing the CNR greater than 50dB could be achieved by only adjusting the thickness of dielectric and the recording layers when the wavelength of light source is changed from 780nm to 680nm. In addition, the recording power margin of 5mW and the 2mW minimum recording power was realized, It was shown from the present study that the increase in laser power density demonstrated feasibility of low cost and low power laser diode with the reduced optimum recording power.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.293-297
• /
• 1993

Exchange coupled $NiFe/TbCo/Sio_{2}$ thin films for magnetoresistive heads were sputter deposited using RF diode sputtering method, and their magnetic characteristics were measured. TbCo films were deposited using a composite target, which is composed of Tb chips epoxied on a Co target. NiFe($400\AA$)/TbCo($1500\AA$)/$SiO_{2}$($500\AA$) films were deposited using a TbCo target having 30 % of Tb area ratio, which showed 25 Oe of the exchange field without substrate bias and 12 Oe with -55 V of substrate bias. The effective in-plane coercivities of the three layer films fabricated with less than -55 V of substrate bias were approximately proportional to the perpendicular coercivities of the TbCo layer only. The films fabricated with a Theo target of 28 % area ratio showed the same trend. However, the exchange field decreased to 4 Oe without the substrate bias and 7 Oe with -55 V of substrate bias. In the films fabricated with 1000 W of power and the target of 36 % area ratio exhibited 100 Oe of exchange field and 3 Oe of coercivity. As the thickness of NiFe layer increased, the exchange field decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.291-295
• /
• 1999

$NiFe/Co/Al_2O_3/Co/IrMn$ tunneling junctions were grown on (100)Si wafer and their spin-valve tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) was studied. The tunneling junctions were grown by using a 5-gun RF/DC magnetron sputter. $Al_2O_3$ barrier layer was formed by exposing Al layer to oxygen atmosphere at 6$0^{\circ}C$ for 72 hours. Strong exchange coupling interaction is observed between the ferromagnetic Co and the antiferromagnetic IrMn of Co/IrMn bilayer when IrMn is 100$\AA$ thick. $NiFe(183\;{\AA})/Co(17\;{\AA})/Al_2O_3(16\;{\AA})/Co(100\;{\AA})/IrMn(100\;{\AA})$ tunneling junction shows best TMR ratio of about 10% in the applied magnetic field range of $\pm$20 Oe. The TMR ratio is improved about 23% and electrical resistance is decreased about 34% when annealed at 200 $^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour in magnetic field of 330 Oe, parallel to the bottom electrode. With increasing the active area of junction the TMR ratio increases while electrical resistance decreases.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.4 no.8
• /
• pp.952-957
• /
• 1994

Fe/Co and FeN/CoN multilayer films were prepared by using RF and DC magnetron sputter^ ing technique with Ar or a mixture of Ar and $N_{2}$ gas. Annealing treatment was carried out in a vacuum at temperatures between $100^{\circ}C$ and $500^{\circ}C$ for lhour. Saturation magnetization (MS) and coercivity (Hc) of Fe/Co mutilayer films were investigated as a function of Fe layer thickness and annealing temperature. Permeability ($\mu$) was also examined. Saturation magnetization of 1.8T and coercivity of 1.80e were obtained for the as-deposited Fe/Co($70 \AA /15 \AA$) multilayer film. The Coercivity(Hc) did not change from 1.8 Oe till the annealing temperature $250^{\circ}C$ and then increased rapidly at higher annealing temperatures above $300^{\circ}C$. Coercivity(Hc) measured for the as-deposited FeN/CoN multilayer film was 5 Oe. It decreased gradually with annealing up to $250^{\circ}C$, and then increased rapidly at higher tempera tures.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 1991

Structural and compositional heterogeneities of sputter deposited, amorphous $Co_{87}Zr_{4}NB_{9}$ thin films were investigated using TEM and EDS with windowless detector. The films deposited with substrate bias and annealed in rotating magnetc field showed two amorphous phases of Co-rich region and (ZrNb)oxide-rich region, and revealed 'ultra-soft' magnetic properties. Revesible bias-responses and overdamped frequency responses, along with small Hc, Hk and Mr/Ms ratio, give the possibility of ultra-soft magnetic behavior fo CoZrNb thin films. We proposed the vortex type magnetization distribution in remanent state which was correlated with the thin film heterogeneity. Then, the ultra-soft characteristics of the compositionally heterogeneous films were explained by the spin vortices that minimized the total magnetostatic and exchange coupling energies.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.152-160
• /
• 1993

In this study, we have investigated the influence of sputtering conditions (Ar pressure input powers, substrates) on coercivity and microstructures of GdFe, Co, CoCr thin films produced by the method of DC magnetron sputtering. In GdFe films, we have observed that the Gd atomic ratio was decreased with the deposition rate, and deposition rate decreased with the pressure of Ar gas and the increased linearly with input power. It was also observed that the coercivity of thin films was increased with input power. In Co films, we have investigated the deposition was increased and the Co thin film became finer structure with the increase in the input power, was increased and the Co thin film became finer structure with the increase in the input power, and the deposition rate was decreased with the pressure of Ar gas. In CoCr films, we have investigated the effects of substrates on the coercivity $(H_c)$ and the microstructure. We have found that the substrates plays a crucial role in the microstructure and the coercivity $(H_c)$.

• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.163-166
• /
• 2008

Multiferroic $CoCr_2O_4$ film was deposited on MgO and $MgAl_2O_4$ substrates by the rf-sputtering process. The films were prepared at an RF-magnetron sputtering power of 50 W and a pressure of 10 mtorr (20 sccm in Ar), and at substrate temperatures of $550^{\circ}C$. The crystal structure was determined to be a spinel (Fd-3m) structure by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Cu $K{\yen}{\acute{a}}$ radiation. The thickness and morphology of the films were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The magnetic properties were measured using a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQIUD) magnetometer. While the ferrimagnetic transitions were observed at about 93 K, which was determined as the Neel temperature, the magnetic properties all show different behaviors. The differences between the magnetic properties can be explained by the stress effects between $CoCr_2O_4$ and the substrates of MgO and $MgAl_2O_4$.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.373-379
• /
• 2002

We investigated the evolution of magnetoresistance and magnetic property of tunneling magnetoresistive(TMR) device with microstructure and plasma oxidation time. TMR devices have potential applications for non volatile MRAM and high density HDD reading head. We prepared the tunnel magnetoresistance(TMR) devices of Ta($50{\AA}$)/NiFe($50{\AA}$)/IrMn($150{\AA}$)/CoFe($50{\AA}$)/Al($13{\AA}$)-O/CoFe($40{\AA}$)/FiFe($400{\AA}$)/Ta(($50{\AA}$) structure which have $100{\times}100\mu\textrm{m}^2$ junction area on $2.5{\times}2.5\textrm{cm}^2$ Si/$SiO_2$(($1000{\AA}$) substrates by an inductively coupled plasma(ICP) magnetron sputter. We fabricated the insulating layer using an ICP plasma oxidation method by with various oxidation time from 30 sec to 360 sec, and measured resistances and magnetoresistance(MR) ratios of TMR devices. We found that the oxidized sample for oxidation time of 80 sec showed the highest MR radio of 30.31 %, while the calculated value regarding inhomogeneous current effect indicated 25.18 %. We used transmission electron microscope(TEM) to investigate microstructural evolution of insulating layer. Comparing the cross-sectional TEM images at oxidation time of 150 sec and 360 sec, we found that the thickness and thickness variation of 360 sec-oxidized insulating layer became 30% and 40% larger than those of 150 sec-oxidized layer, repectively. Therefore, our results imply that increase of thickness variation with oxidation time may be one of the major treasons of the MR decrease.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.228-238
• /
• 1992

An investigation on the step-coverage of PECVD and $O_3$ ThCVD oxides was undertaken to implement into the void-free inter metal dielectric planarization using multi-chamber system for the submicron double level metallization. At various initial aspect ratios the instantaneous aspect ratios were measured through modelling and experiment by depositing the oxides up to $0.9{\mu}m$ in thickness in order to monitor the onset of void formation. The modelling was found to be in a good agreement with the observed instantaneous aspect ratio of TEOS-based PECVD oxide whose re-entrant angle was less than $5^{\circ}$. It is demonstrated that either keeping the instantaneous aspect ratio of PECVD oxide as a first layer less than a factor of 0.8 or employing Ar sputter etch to create sloped oxide edge ensures the void-free planarization after$O_3$ ThCVD oxide deposition whose step-coverage is superior to PECVD oxide. It has been observed that $O_3$ ThCVD oxide etchback scheme has shown higher yield of via contact chain than non etchback process, with resistance per via contact of $0.1~0.3{\Omega}/{\mu}m^2$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2002.05b
• /
• pp.70-73
• /
• 2002

Thin films of vanadium oxide($VO_{x}$) have been deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering from $V_{2}O_{5}$ target in gas mixture of argon and oxygen. The oxygen/(oxygen+argon) partial pressure ratio of 0% and 8% is adopted. Crystal structure, chemical composition, molecular structure and optical properties of films sputter-deposited under different oxygen gas pressures and in-situ annealed in vacuum at $400^{\circ}C$ for 1h and 4h are characterized through XRD. RBS, FTlR and optical absorption measurements. The films as-deposited are amorphous and those annealed for time longer than 4h are polycrystalline. $V_{2}O_{5}$ and lower oxides co-exist in sputter-deposited films and as the oxygen partial pressure is increased the films become more stoichiometric $V_{2}O_{5}$. When annealed at $400^{\circ}C$, the as-deposited films are reduced to a lower oxide. It is observed that the oxygen atoms located on the V-O plane of $V_{2}O_{5}$ layer participate more readily in the oxidation and reduction process. The optical transmission of the films annealed in vacuum decreases considerably than the as-deposited films and the optical absorption of all the films increases rapidly between 400 and 550nm.