Double-pinned magnetic tunnel junction sensors with spin-valve-like sensing layers
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 603, Beijing 100190 (China)
- Department of Applied Physics, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan)
MgO magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors with spin-valve-like sensing layers of Ir{sub 22}Mn{sub 78} (6)/Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20} (t{sub NiFe} = 20–70)/Ru (0.9)/Co{sub 40}Fe{sub 40}B{sub 20} (3) (unit: nm) have been fabricated. A linear field dependence of magnetoresistance for these MTJ sensors was obtained by carrying out a two-step field annealing process. The sensitivity and linear field range can be tuned by varying the thickness of NiFe layer and annealing temperature, and a high sensitivity of 37%/mT has been achieved in the MTJ sensors with 70 nm NiFe at the optimum annealing temperature of 230 °C. Combining the spin-valve-like sensing structure and a soft magnetic NiFe layer, MTJ sensors with relatively wide field sensing range have been achieved and could be promising for showing high sensitivity magnetic field sensing applications.
- OSTI ID:
- 22494685
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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