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Misfit Strain Relief Beyond the Critical Thickness Using Curvature Measurements and in Situ Characterization of the Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

H. E. Inglefield ,
G. Bochi ,
C. A. Ballentine ,
R. C. O’Handley  and
C. V. Thompson
H. E. Inglefield
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
G. Bochi
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
C. A. Ballentine
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
R. C. O’Handley
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
C. V. Thompson
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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Abstract

Epitaxial misfit has been characterized in Ni/Cu/Si (100) as a function of Ni film thickness using wafer curvature measurements. This strain can be related to measurements of magnetic anisotropy made in the deposition system using the magneto-optic Kerr effect. Films were deposited using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with varying Ni epilayer thickness between 10 and 1000Å. The change in wafer curvature due to misfit strain was measured using optical interferometry and the strain was calculated using Stoney’s equation. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize misfit dislocations at the Ni/Cu interface. It has been determined that misfit strain can have a very strong effect on magnetic anisotropy, particularly in the regime between the critical thickness and complete misfit accommodation, where strain has been found to decrease significantly as a function of film thickness. A critical strain has been determined at which a transition in the direction of magnetization easy axis from perpendicular to the film to in the film plane occurs. This discovery allows the use of Kerr effect measurements to characterize misfit strain in situ.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 356: Symposium B2 – Thin Films: Stresses and Mechanical Properties V , 1994 , 265
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

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