摘要 |
The MR ratio of an MTJ device is increased. A single-crystalline MgO (001) substrate 11 is prepared, and then an epitaxial Fe (001) lower electrode (first electrode) 17 with a thickness of 50 nm is grown on a MgO (001) seed layer 15 at room temperature. Annealing is then performed in ultrahigh vacuum (2x10<SUP>-8 </SUP>Pa) at 350° C. A 2-nm thick MgO (001) barrier layer 21 is epitaxially grown on the Fe (001) lower electrode (first electrode) 17 at room temperature, using electron beam evaporation of MgO. A Fe (001) upper electrode (second electrode) 23 with a thickness of 10 nm is then grown on the MgO (001) barrier layer 21 at room temperature, which is successively followed by the deposition of a Co layer 21 with a thickness of 10 nm on the Fe (001) upper electrode (second electrode) 23. The Co layer 21 is used for realizing an antiparallel magnetization alignment by enhancing an exchange bias magnetic field of the upper electrode 23. Thereafter, the above-prepared sample is subjected to microfabrication so as to obtain a Fe (001)/MgO (001)/Fe (001) MTJ device. The density of dislocation defects that exist at the interface between one of the first or the second Fe (001) layer and the single-crystalline MgO (001) layer is not more than 25 to 50 defects/mum.
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