• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.7-10
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• 2009

In this work, we studied the effects of Sn addition on the ordering temperature of FePt thin film. The coercivity of FePtSn film was about 1000 Oe greater than the coercivity of FePt film for an annealing temperature of $600^{\circ}C$. Therefore, Sn addition was effective in promoting the $L1_0$ ordering and in reducing the ordering temperature of the FePt film. From our X-ray diffraction results, we found that in the as-deposited film, the addition of Sn induced a lattice expansion in disordered FePt thin films. After the annealing process, the excess Sn diffuses out from the ordered FePt thin film because of the difference in the solid solubility of Sn between the disordered and ordered phases. The existence of precipitates of Sn from the FePt lattice was deduced by Curie temperature measurements of the FePt and FePtSn films. Therefore, the key role played by the addition of Sn to the FePt film can be explained by a reduction in the activation energy for the $L1_0$ order-disorder transformation of FePt which originates from the high internal stress in the disordered phase induced by the supersaturated Sn atoms.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.119-122
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• 1999

Magnetic properties and crystal structures of (Fe1-XCoX) Pt (X = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0) ternary thin films were investigated. The order-disorder phase transformation of FePt thin films during annealing was also studied by x-ray diffraction and M ssbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic thin films were deposited on glass substrates using a dc sputtering method and were subsequently annealed at 400~$700^{\circ}C$ in a high vacuum. The as-deposited films exhibited a high degree of the <111> preferred orientation and the preferred orientation was not destroyed even after the subsequent post annealing. The coercivity of the ($Fe_xCo_{1-x}$) Pt thin films annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ showed a minimum value at the equiatomic composition of the Fe and Co atoms. The ordered structure of the FePt alloy was thought to have formed from the disordered structure by an inhomogeneous process, which was confirmed by the asymmetric peak shapes and M ssbauer spectra.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.167-167
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• 2011

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is one of the prospective semiconductor memories for next generation. It has the excellent features including nonvolatility, fast access time, unlimited read/write endurance, low operating voltage, and high storage density. MRAM consists of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The MTJ stack is composed of various magnetic materials, metals, and a tunneling barrier layer. For the successful realization of high density MRAM, the etching process of magnetic materials should be developed. Among various magnetic materials, FePt has been used for pinned layer of MTJ stack. The previous etch study of FePt magnetic thin films was carried out using $CH_4/O_2/NH_3$. It reported only the etch characteristics with respect to the variation of RF bias powers. In this study, the etch characteristics of FePt thin films have been investigated using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etcher in various etch chemistries containing $CH_4$/Ar and $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ gas mixes. TiN thin film was employed as a hard mask. FePt thin films are etched by varying the gas concentration. The etch characteristics have been investigated in terms of etch rate, etch selectivity and etch profile. Furthermore, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is applied to elucidate the etch mechanism of FePt thin films in $CH_4$/Ar and $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ chemistries.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 2010

The crystallization of FePt/MgO(001) magnetic thin films of various thicknesses has been studied using synchrotron x-ray scattering, atomic force microscope, and vibrating sample magnetometer. In film with a 499-$\AA$-thick, face-centered tetragonal, ordered FePt phase was dominantly crystallized into perpendicular (001) grains keeping the magnetically easy c-axis normal to the film plane during annealing. In film with a 816-$\AA$-thick, however, longitudinal (110) grains keeping the c-axis parallel to the film plane were grown on top of the perpendicular (001) grains. The behavior of the magnetic properties was consistent with the thickness dependence of the crystallization. We attribute the thickness dependence of the crystallization to the substrate effect, which prefers the growth of the c-axis oriented perpendicular grains near the film/substrate interfacial area.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.412-416
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• 2013

FePt:Ag (100 nm) nanocomposite thin films were prepared on naturally-oxidized Si substrates by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to investigate the effects of annealing pressures on the ordering processes and microstructures of these films. The average sizes for the $L1_0$ ordered domains and the FePt grains are reduced to d = 9 nm and D = 13 nm from d = 19 nm and D = 34 nm, respectively, when the annealing pressure is enhanced to 0.6 GPa from room pressure at 873 K. Furthermore, the size distribution is improved into a narrow range. With increasing pressure, the coercivity of $L1_0$-FePt:Ag thin films decreases from 15.1 to 7.6 kOe. In the present study, the effects of high pressure on the $L1_0$ ordering processes and microstructures of FePt:Ag nanocomposite films were discussed.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.189-193
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• 2004

Pure and Sn or Pt doped $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ thin films were prepared on $Al_2O_3$ substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering method and the sensitivities were compared. It was found that pure $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ thin films did not exhibit much selectivity in CO and $i-C_4H_{10}$ gases while it showed the high sensitivity in proportion to the gas concentration of $C_2H_{5}OH$ gas. Pt-doped $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ showed to be alike sensing properties as pure $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ thin film in $C_2H_{5}OH$ gas. However, Sn-doped $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ thin films exhibited the excellent sensitivity and selectivity in Hz gas. After microstructure modification by plasma etching on pure $\alpha-Fe_2O_3$ thin films, the gas sensing characteristics were dramatically changed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.118-119
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• 1999

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.278-279
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• 2005

The crystallization of FePt/MgO(100) magnetic thin films of various thicknesses has been studied using synchrotron x-ray scattering, atomic force microscope, and vibrating sample magnetometer. In film with a 500-${\AA}$-thick, ordered (fct) FePt phase was dominantly crystallized into perpendicular (001) grains keeping the magnetically easy c-axis normal to the film plane during annealing. In film with a 812-${\AA}$-thick, however, longitudinal (110) grains keeping the c-axis parallel to the film plane were grown on top of the perpendicular (001) grains. The behavior of the magnetic properties was consistent with the thickness dependence of the crystallization. We attribute the thickness dependence of the crystallization to the substrate effect, which prefers the growth of the c-axis oriented perpendicular grains near the film/substrate interfacial area.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.343-347
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• 2007

Fe thin films exhibited (100) preferential orientation when they were deposited at low deposition rate of $0.1{\AA}/s$ on glass substrates by using facing target sputtering system. The (100) oriented Fe layer induces (100) orientation of Pt layer deposited on it owing to hetero-epitaxial growth. After annealing at $600^{\circ}C$ in $H_2$ atmosphere, FePt films exhibited f.c.t. (001) texture in the whole film caused by inter-diffusion between atoms. We have also confirmed that the homogeneously inter-diffused compositional modulation in the film after the annealing process. Furthermore, annealing process in $Ar+H_2$ atmosphere at $400^{\circ}C$ during Pt deposition was effective for attaining Pt (100) texture. The annealing process during Pt deposition also induced in low annealing temperature and decreased annealing time for attaining the FePt f.c.t. (001) structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.408-408
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• 2012

It is well known that magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is nonvolatile memory devices using ferromagnetic materials. MRAM has the merits such as fast access time, unlimited read/write endurance and nonvolatility. Although DRAM has many advantages containing high storage density, fast access time and low power consumption, it becomes volatile when the power is turned off. Owing to the attractive advantages of MRAM, MRAM is being spotlighted as an alternative device in the future. MRAM consists of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and complementary metal- oxide semiconductor (CMOS). MTJ stacks are composed of various magnetic materials. FePt thin films are used as a pinned layer of MTJ stack. Up to date, an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICPRIE) method of MTJ stacks showed better results in terms of etch rate and etch profile than any other methods such as ion milling, chemical assisted ion etching (CAIE), reactive ion etching (RIE). In order to improve etch profiles without redepositon, a better etching process of MTJ stack needs to be developed by using different etch gases and etch parameters. In this research, influences of $O_2$ gas on the etching characteristics of FePt thin films were investigated. FePt thin films were etched using ICPRIE in $CH_4/O_2/Ar$ gas mix. The etch rate and the etch selectivity were investigated in various $O_2$ concentrations. The etch profiles were studied in varying etch parameters such as coil rf power, dc-bias voltage, and gas pressure. TiN was employed as a hard mask. For observation etch profiles, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used.