Magnetic and structural properties of CoFeB thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition,Materials Research Express

The emergence of thin film CoFeB has driven research and industrial applications in the past decades, with the magnetic random access memory (MRAM) the most prominent example. Because of its beneficial properties, it fulfills multiple functionalities as information-storing, spin-filtering, and reference layer in magnetic tunnel junctions. In future, this versatility can be exploited beyond the traditional applications of spintronics by combining with advanced materials, such as oxide-based materials. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is their predominant growth-method, and thus the compatibility of CoFeB with this growth technique will be tested here. This encompasses a comprehensive investigation of the structural and magnetic propoperties. In particular, we find a substantial ‘dead’ magnetic layer and confirm that it is caused by oxidation employing the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) effect. The low damping encountered in vector network analyzer-based ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR) renders them suitable for magnonics applications. These findings demonstrate that CoFeB thin films are compatible with emergent, PLD-grown materials, ensuring their relevance for future applications.

中文翻译：

在过去的几十年中，薄膜 CoFeB 的出现推动了研究和工业应用，其中最突出的例子是磁性随机存取存储器 (MRAM)。由于其有益的特性，它实现了多种功能，如磁隧道结中的信息存储、自旋过滤和参考层。未来，通过与氧化物基材料等先进材料相结合，这种多功能性可以超越自旋电子学的传统应用。脉冲激光沉积 (PLD) 是它们的主要生长方法，因此这里将测试 CoFeB 与这种生长技术的兼容性。这包括对结构和磁性特性的全面研究。特别是，我们发现了一个实质性的“死”磁层，并确认它是由使用 X 射线磁圆二色性 (XMCD) 效应的氧化引起的。基于矢量网络分析仪的铁磁共振 (VNA-FMR) 中遇到的低阻尼使它们适合于磁学应用。这些发现表明 CoFeB 薄膜与新兴的 PLD 生长材料兼容，确保它们与未来应用的相关性。