Tuning the magnetic properties of ultrathin magnetic films with MgO as the buffer layer

Abstract

To minimize the screening effect of a metallic ferromagnetic film and improve the effectiveness of electric field modulation, high-quality ultrathin magnetic film is one of the critical prerequisites. Here ultrathin magnetic films and synthetic antiferromagnetics (SAFs) are deposited on SiO₂ substrates at room temperature using the magnetron sputtering. Atomic force microscopy is used to characterize the roughness of MgO, Nb, Ru, W, and CoFeB films, revealing their atomic-level flatness, with root mean square roughness values below 0.3 nm, which are crucial in the subsequent preparation of ultrathin SAF to achieve high-quality interfaces. The results from the magneto-optical Kerr microscopy suggest that when MgO is 1.48 nm, ultrathin 0.6 nm CoFeB exhibits stable room-temperature perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and there is a correlation between room-temperature ferromagnetism and MgO thickness. For SAFs, ultrathin 0.6 nm CoFeB-based SAF exhibits room-temperature antiferromagnetism via the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction mechanism. The exchange coupling field demonstrates that the transition between ferromagnetic coupling and antiferromagnetic coupling can be regulated by adjusting both the thickness of the non-magnetic spacer layer and the CoFeB layer. This work lays the ground for the potential applications of high-density storage and efficient electric field modulation of ferromagnetic multilayers for improving energy efficiency.