Influence of seed layers on the microstructure of NiFe layers

Abstract Magnetic tunnel junctions are of interest for their application in magnetic random access memory. Structural parameters can influence the homogeneity of the nanojonctions and we report on the influence of the seed layer on the structural and magnetic properties of a NiFe layer in a (Si/Al 2 O 3 /seed layer/NiFe/Al 2 O 3 /TaN) multilayer where the seed layers are Ta, TaN and Al 2 O 3 . All the NiFe layers are crystalline although the texture, the grain size and the roughness vary with the seed layer. Magnetic measurements indicate small differences in the saturation magnetisation for the films with the different seed layers.