Effect of annealing temperature on formation of superparamagnetism in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions

We report the annealing effect of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions with a thin free layer. For the junctions with CoFeB free layer below the critical thickness, the MR transfer curves are always hysteresis-free and TMR ratio decreases with increasing annealing temperature. For the junctions with CoFeB free layer above the critical thickness, with increasing annealing temperature, both TMR ratio and coercivity increase firstly and then decrease, and finally hysteresis-free MR transfer curves are obtained. The MR loops without hysteresis can be well fitted by using the Langevin equation, suggesting the formation of superparamagnetic particles in the free layer during the high temperature annealing. This behavior originates from the transformation of the ultra-thin CoFeB free layer during annealing: crystallization process of CoFeB and diffusion at MgO/CoFeB and CoFeB/Ru interfaces.