Stripe domains and spin reorientation transition in Fe 78 B 13 Si 9 thin films produced by rf sputtering J. Appl. Phys.

The in-plane magnetization of a series of 30 Å polycrystalline cobalt films on Si(111) substrates was investigated as a function of deposition angle. The films exhibited a growth-induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis of magnetization that is initially perpendicular to the adatom flux direction but rotates to parallel to the deposition direction for an oblique incidence of 75°. The coercivity increased steadily for incidence angles above 30° from a value of 15 to 270 Oe at 75° depositions. A new technique to induce the uniaxial anisotropy onto a cobalt film deposited at normal incidence with the use of a cobalt underlayer deposited at oblique incidence was demonstrated. An underlayer film of 6 Å cobalt deposited at 83° induced an observed coercivity of 375 Oe in a 30 Å cobalt film.

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A hyperfine structure has been observed by electrically detected magnetic resonance from a Si p–n diode. From the hyperfine splitting, and the natural abundance of the interacting I=1/2 nuclear species, the recombination center is found to be consistent with a platinum complex.

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to examine the formation of voids in SiO2-passivated 1 μm×1 μm Al-0.5 wt. % Cu lines. Samples were heat-treated both ex situ and in the positron beam to monitor void formation as a function of time and temperature. By measuring the fraction of 3-γ annihilations (a sensitive indicator of large open volume defects) we have established that voids are present at the interface between the Al alloy lines and the SiO2 passivation before heat treatment. The 3-γ fraction then grows to a maximum in less than 1 h at a temperature of 300 °C. Changes in the Doppler-broadening S parameter are also observed. Studies are underway to apply the same methodology to investigate electromigration.