Effect of NiAl underlayer and spacer on magnetoresistance of current-perpendicular-to-plane spin valves using Co2Mn(Ga0.5Sn0.5) Heusler alloy

We investigated the effect of a NiAl underlayer and spacer on magnetoresistive (MR) properties in current-perpendicular-to-plane spin valves (CPP-SVs) using Co2Mn(Ga0.5Sn0.5) (CMGS) Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layers. The usage of a NiAl underlayer allowed a high temperature annealing for the L21 ordering of the bottom CMGS layer, giving rise to a MR ratio of 10.2% at room temperature. We found that the usage of a NiAl spacer layer also improved the tolerance of the multilayer structure against thermal delamination, which allowed annealing to induce the L21 structure in both the bottom and top CMGS layers. However, the short spin diffusion length of NiAl resulted in a lower MR ratio compared to that obtained using a Ag spacer. Transmission electron microscopy of the multilayer structure of CPP-SVs showed that the atomically flat layered structure was maintained after the annealing. - Highlights: → CPP spin valves using Co2Mn(Ga0.5Sn0.5) ferromagnetic layers with a new underlayer material. → NiAl underlayer and spacer improve the thermal tolerance of the spin valve structure. → NiAl underlayer improves MR ratio compared to Ag because of higher annealing temperature. → NiAl spacer degrades MR ratios compared to Ag because of short spin diffusion length. → Potential of heat resistant underlayer and spacer layer for CPP-SV using Heusler alloy.