Magnetization Reversal and Dynamics in Epitaxial Fe/Pt Spintronic Bilayers Stimulated by Interfacial Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

Abstract

We have explored the impact of elevated growth and annealing temperatures on the local interfacial structure of thin Fe(12 nm)/Pt(10 nm) spintronic bilayers, epitaxially grown on MgO (100), and their correlation to magnetization reversal and dynamics. Electron-beam evaporation growth and subsequent annealing at 450 °C causes significant roughening of the MgO/Fe interface with irregular steps and multilevel (100) MgO surface terraces. Consequently, threading dislocations emerging at the step edges propagated in the Fe layer and terminated at the Fe/Pt interface, which appears pitted with pits 1.5–3 nm deep on the Fe side. Most of the pits are filled with the overlying Pt, whereby others by ferrimagnetic Fe3O4, forming nanoparticles that occupy nearly 9% of the Fe/Pt interfacial area. Fe3O4 nanoparticles occur at the termination sites of threading dislocations at the Fe/Pt interface, and their population density is equivalent to the density of threading dislocations in the Fe layer. The morphology of the Fe/Fe3O4/Pt system has a strong impact on the magnetization reversal, enhancing the coercive field and inducing an exchange bias below 200 K. Furthermore, low-temperature spin pumping and inverse spin Hall effect voltage measurements reveal that below their blocking temperature the nanoparticles can influence the spin current transmission and the spin rectification effects.