Journal Article

PreJuSER-17393

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Hard x-ray photoemission using standing-wave excitation applied to the MgO/Fe interface

Döring, S.FZJ* ; Schönbohm, F.FZJ* ; Berges, U.FZJ* ; Schreiber, R.FZJ* ; Bürgler, D. E.FZJ* ; Schneider, C. M.FZJ* ; Gorgoi, M.FZJ* ; Schäfers, F.FZJ* ; Papp, C.FZJ* ; Balke, B.FZJ* ; Fadley, C. S.FZJ* ; Westphal, C.FZJ*

2011
APS College Park, Md.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/10911  doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.83.165444

Abstract: Many applications in electronics and spintronics rely on interfaces, which are buried a few nanometers deep and thus are hardly accessible in real devices except for invasive techniques. Here, we report on hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy combined with the x-ray standing-wave technique as a noninvasive method to access buried interfaces with a depth resolution of a few A and enhanced interface sensitivity. Within these experiments, the film thicknesses and also the thicknesses of the intermixing layers are determined. We extend the data analysis scheme previously developed for soft x-rays to the hard x-ray regime and apply the method to buried epitaxial Fe/MgO interfaces, which play a crucial role in magnetic tunnel junctions and their applications. It was found that there was no detectable intermixing or reaction of the Fe and MgO layers at the interface.

Keyword(s): J

Note: The work was funded by the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, the NRW Research School of Synchrotron Radiation. The beam time at BESSY was funded by the BMBF (FK 05 ES3XBA/5). We thank the BESSY staff for their support. This work has also been supported by the director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, of the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231, the Humboldt Foundation, and the Helmholtz Association.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Elektronische Eigenschaften (PGI-6)

Research Program(s):

1. Grundlagen für zukünftige Informationstechnologien (P42)

Appears in the scientific report 2011

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