Magnetic and microwave properties of CoFe/PtMn/CoFe multilayer films

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20002242

CoFe/PtMn/CoFe films were deposited on seed layers of Ru or NiFeCr with CoFe film compositions being either Co-10 at. %Fe or Co-16 at. %Fe. Eight periods of the CoFe/PtMn/CoFe trilayers were also prepared. The magnetic properties and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) of these films were characterized with vibrating-sample magnetometer, and field-sweep FMR system at X band (∽9.5 GHz). The Ru-seeded CoFe/PtMn/CoFe sandwich films show excellent magnetic softness with a low hard axis coercivity of 2-4 Oe, an easy axis Mr/Ms of >98%, and a significantly enhanced in-plane anisotropy of 57-123 Oe when CoFe layer thickness is above 200 Å. Contrary to what was observed in the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayer systems that have reduced FMR linewidth with the increase of film thickness, the CoFe/PtMn/CoFe trilayers with Ru seed layer show a minimum FMR linewidth of 45 Oe at an intermediate CoFe layer thickness of 300 Å at ∽9.5 GHz.