AVS 47th International Symposium
    Magnetic Interfaces and Nanostructures Thursday Sessions
       Session MI-ThA

Paper MI-ThA5
Preparation of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions by Ionized Atom Beams

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 3:20 pm, Room 206

Session: Magnetic Devices: GMR & Tunneling
Presenter: S.O. Demokritov, University Kaiserslautern, Germany
Authors: S.O. Demokritov, University Kaiserslautern, Germany
B.F.P. Roos, University Kaiserslautern, Germany
B. Hillebrands, University Kaiserslautern, Germany
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A new oxidation technique for the preparation of thin insulating barriers for magnetic tunnel junctions combined with in-situ resistivity and optical reflectivity measurements is studied. A highly dissociated low energy (30 eV-80 eV) ionized oxygen atom beam from a novel type of an electron cyclotron wave resonance controlled plasma reactor is used to oxidize metallic Al layers and to form an insulating barrier for tunnel junctions. The oxidation process is found to be self limiting. The oxidation depth variate from 1.5 to 2 nm in agreement with performed Monte Carlo simulations.