Magnetization reversal in sputtered Co and oxidized Co ͑CoOx͒ layers are studied using transport measurements and magneto-optic Kerr effect. When associated in a magnetic tunnel junction, the two magnetic layers show a strong ferromagnetic coupling. Using the tunnel magnetoresistive effect as a probe for micromagnetic studies, we show the existence of an unexpected domain structure in the soft Co layer. This domain structure originates from the duplication of the domain structure of the hard CoOx magnetic layer template into the soft Co layer via the ferromagnetic coupling.
We have prepared iron and thin films and trilayers by RF magnetron sputtering. The argon pressure during the process is found to have a significant influence on the microstructure and the coercivity of the Fe layers so that we could obtain trilayers with a spin-valve-like magnetic behaviour for thickness as thin as 9 Å. Perpendicular transport measurements of such junctions indicate tunnel behaviour with barrier heights close to 1.5 eV while the barrier width is consistently lower than the nominal thickness. Magnetoresistance of these samples reaches up to 1.1% at room temperature.
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