Combining annealing temperature and interface engineering for improving anisotropic magnetoresistance in Ta/NiFe/Ta films

Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors are pivotal in various applications due to their low power consumption, scalability, and cost-effectiveness due to the simple sensor structure, comprising one NiFe film, usually encased in a buffer and cap layer. In this work, we explore the effects of inserting MgO and Pt dusting layers between the NiFe sensing layer and adjacent capping and buffer layers, on the electric, magnetic and structural properties of AMR sensors. We describe results on sensors based on Ta/NiFe/Ta, with an as-processed AMR value of 2.0 %. The insertion of Pt thin films had a positive impact, with AMR values increasing to 2.2 %, contrary to the observed with MgO dusting films. Magnetic annealing up to 370 °C caused an increase of the resistivity and reduction in AMR (with Pt dusting layers), on the contrary, MgO dusting layers improved the sensor performance upon annealing, with AMR increasing to 2.5 % (5 h at 370 °C). In light of the findings, the incorporation of Pt and MgO dusting layers enables tailoring the grain size and resistance of Ta/NiFe/Ta films, while combined with proper annealing, which is relevant for applications where Ta and NiFe are available for AMR sensor fabrication.