A link between the coercivity and microstructure of high moment Fe films and their use in magnetic tunnel junctions

It is demonstrated that N-doping can be applied beneficially to control the switching field of the 'free' layer in magnetic trilayer films of the MTJ type. It is thus possible to construct an all Fe-electrode magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) that displays the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) effect by altering the switching field of one Fe layer using N-doping. The ability to control the magnetic softness of high magnetic moment materials is important in regard to their incorporation into TMR devices.