Metastable permalloy monoxide based spin valves and pseudo-spin valves

We report the reactive magnetron sputter deposition of a metastable antifer romagnetic oxide, (Ni81Fe19)O or permalloy monoxide (PyO), suitable for exc hange biasing permalloy (Ni81Fe19 or Py) film layers at room temperature or for manipulating metallic Py film coercivities. Examples are presented dem onstrating how PyO can be incorporated in Py/Cu/Py-based exchange biased sp in valves (SV) or nonexchange biased pseudo-spin valves (PSV) using the sam e metallic Py target for fabricating both the PyO pinning layer and the Py metallic layers. The presence of a Ti seed layer beneath the PSV or SV film structures and the oxidized silicon substrate is shown to have an insignif icant effect on the film magnetic properties, demonstrating the feasible us e of Ti as an adhesion or diffusion barrier layer in hybridized microelectr onic devices based on silicon. Glancing incidence parallel beam x-ray diffr action data are presented supporting the existence of the antiferromagnetic monoxide rocksalt phase for the PyO. In addition, vibrating sample magneto metry and four point probe magnetoresistance analysis data are presented fo r the SV and PSV films. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979 (99)72508-9].