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中国物理学会期刊

退火诱导CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB界面互扩散及磁动态演化机制

Annealing-induced interdiffusion and magnetic dynamic evolution mechanism in CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB multilayers

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  • 基于稀土/过渡金属(rare-earth/transition-metal, RE/TM)体系的复合磁性结构在高密度、低功耗自旋电子器件中具有重要应用潜力。其中,界面元素扩散及其引起的局域磁结构演化会显著影响磁耦合和自旋动力学行为。本文以 CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB 三层膜为研究对象,系统研究了100~500℃退火处理对其界面结构、静态磁性和高频动态磁响应的影响。实验结果表明,低温退火样品仍主要表现为 CoFeB 主导的铁磁响应;当退火温度升高至 400 ℃和 500 ℃时,样品的磁滞回线明显展宽,说明高温退火诱导的界面扩散和磁性非均匀性显著改变了磁化翻转过程。铁磁共振(ferromagnetic resonance, FMR)测试显示,低温退火样品主要表现为单一共振响应,而 300℃退火后 FMR 谱线由单峰演化为可分辨的双峰结构。进一步的变温和多频 FMR 结果表明,两个共振分支在较宽温度范围内均稳定存在,且峰位和峰间距随温度变化不明显,说明传统层间反铁磁耦合并不是导致峰劈裂的主导因素。结合透射电子显微镜、能谱分析和微磁学模拟,本文认为退火促进了 Gd 向相邻 CoFeB 层扩散,并在 Gd/CoFeB 界面附近形成局域 Gd–CoFeB 互混区域。该区域与残余 CoFeB 铁磁区域具有不同的有效磁参数,从而在高频激发下形成两个动态响应通道,并导致 FMR 双峰结构的出现。该研究揭示了 CoFeB/Gd/CoFeB 多层膜中退火诱导界面互扩散、静态磁性演化和高频动态响应之间的内在关联,为含稀土元素的 CoFeB 复合自由层的热处理调控和器件设计提供了实验依据。

     

    Composite magnetic structures based on rare-earth/transition-metal (RE/TM) systems are promising candidates for high-density and low-power spintronic devices because their net magnetization, magnetic anisotropy, and spin dynamics can be tailored through composition and interfacial engineering. However, thermal processing may induce elemental interdiffusion and local magnetic inhomogeneity, which can substantially modify both magnetization reversal and high-frequency magnetic response. In this work, Ta (10 nm)/MgO (2 nm)/CoFeB (5 nm)/Gd (5 nm)/CoFeB (5 nm)/Ta (10 nm) multilayers were deposited by magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealed at temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C. Their interfacial structures, static magnetic properties, and ferromagnetic-resonance characteristics were systematically investigated by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, vibrating-sample and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, multi-frequency and temperature-dependent ferromagnetic resonance measurements, and micromagnetic simulations. The low-temperature-annealed samples mainly exhibit CoFeB-dominated ferromagnetic behavior and a single FMR resonance. Cross-sectional EDS analysis shows that annealing at 300 °C broadens the spatial distributions of Gd, Co, and Fe near the Gd/CoFeB interfaces, providing direct evidence of enhanced interfacial interdiffusion. At the same annealing temperature, the initially single FMR resonance evolves into two clearly resolvable branches. Double-peak derivative Lorentzian fitting adequately reproduces the experimental spectra. The two resonance branches can be continuously tracked at different microwave frequencies and shift toward higher magnetic fields with increasing frequency. Separate Kittel fits yield distinct effective magnetic parameters for the two branches, indicating that they originate from two different dynamic response channels rather than from simple linewidth broadening or instrumental phase distortion. Their resonance fields and peak separation vary only weakly with temperature, suggesting that conventional long-range interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling is unlikely to be the dominant origin of the splitting. When the annealing temperature is further increased to 400 and 500 °C, the magnetic hysteresis loops become broadened and more inclined, while the FMR signals weaken and the two branches become less distinguishable. These observations indicate enhanced magnetic inhomogeneity and a more broadly distributed magnetization-reversal process at high annealing temperatures. Micromagnetic simulations based on an effective Gd–CoFeB intermixed interfacial layer reproduce the experimentally observed two-branch dispersion for the 300 °C-annealed sample, whereas a more strongly intermixed model yields broadened and partially merged resonances at higher annealing temperatures. These results establish a direct correlation between annealing-induced Gd–CoFeB interfacial interdiffusion, static magnetic evolution, and the formation of multiple high-frequency dynamic response channels. The central finding is that local magnetic-parameter differentiation induced by interfacial intermixing can generate resolvable FMR mode splitting without requiring dominant long-range interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling. This work provides a physical basis for optimizing the thermal stability and high-frequency dynamic performance of Gd-containing CoFeB composite free layers in magnetic tunnel junction and spin-orbit-torque devices.

     

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