High resolution IBA analysis of spin dependent tunnel junctions

Spin dependent tunnel junctions are of technological interest for applications in magnetic non-volatile random access memories due to their large tunneling magnetoresistance effect and low junction resistance-area product. Typical structures are Si/Al2O3 600Å/Ta 70Å/NiFe 70Å/CoFe 30Å/AlxNyOz t/CoFe 40Å/MnIr 200Å/Ta 30Å, with t=6-30 Å, annealed to temperatures up to 400ºC. The properties of these junctions are strongly influenced by the layer thicknesses and composition, and change on annealing. Standard technology for integrated circuits requires annealing at 400-450ºC, and an understanding of the changing magnetic properties of the tunnel junction requires detailed knowledge of the behavior of the different interfaces. We performed Rutherford backscattering (RBS) experiments at a grazing angle of incidence to achieve high depth resolution for the transition metals signal. The composition of the AlxNyOz layers was determined with Heavy Ion Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis. We also performed heavy ion RBS experiments for improved mass resolution. The thickness and composition of the individual layers is determined, and a high sensitivity to diffusion and layer intermixing is achieved.