Realization of high quality epitaxial current- perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistive pseudo spin-valves on Si(001) wafer using NiAl buffer layer
Jiamin Chen,
J. Liu,
Y. Sakuraba,
H. Sukegawa,
S. Li,
K. Hono
Affiliations
Jiamin Chen
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
J. Liu
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
Y. Sakuraba
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
H. Sukegawa
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
S. Li
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
K. Hono
Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronics Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047, Japan
In this letter, we report a NiAl buffer layer as a template for the integration of epitaxial current-perpendicular-plane-giant magnetoresistive (CPP-GMR) devices on a Si(001) single crystalline substrate. By depositing NiAl on a Si wafer at an elevated temperature of 500 °C, a smooth and epitaxial B2-type NiAl(001) layer was obtained. The surface roughness was further improved by depositing Ag on the NiAl layer and applying subsequent annealing process. The epitaxial CPP-GMR devices grown on the buffered Si(001) substrate present a large magnetoresistive output comparable with that of the devices grown on an MgO(001) substrate, demonstrating the possibility of epitaxial spintronic devices with a NiAl templated Si wafer for practical applications.
