Influence of Ta buffer layer thickness on magnetic properties and microstructure parameters of CoFeB and MgO layers

Abstract

This study discusses the influence of Ta buffer layer thickness on magnetic and structural parameters of a Ta-Co40Fe40B20-MgO-Ta magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The MTJ is deposited on thermally oxidized Si(001) substrates and annealed at 330°C for 20 min. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction are used to investigate the microstructure and surface roughness while vibrating sample magnetometry is employed to determine the magnetic moment, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and coercivity.