Published October 15, 2013 | Version v1
Journal article

Manipulating NiFe/AlOx interfacial chemistry for the spin-polarized electrons transport

  • 1. Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)
  • 2. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSUH), University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States)
  • 3. School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228 (China)

Description

Through vacuum annealing, interfacial chemical composition of sputter-deposited AlOx/NiFe/AlOx can be controlled for electron transport manipulation. Chemical status change at the NiFe/AlOx interface was quantified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and correlated to the structure and electron transport properties of the heterostructure. It is found that elemental Al existed in the insulting AlOx after annealing at intermediate temperature can improve the AlOx/NiFe interface and thus favor the electronic transport. Annealing at higher temperature will result in native AlOx formation and degrade transport properties due to the NiFe/AlOx interfaces deterioration caused by significant difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the two materials.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.05.151

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.05.151;
PII
S0169-4332(13)01091-X;

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Applied Surface Science
Journal Volume
283
Journal Page Range
p. 46-51
ISSN
0169-4332
CODEN
ASUSEE

Optional Information

Copyright
Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.