The study of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in CoFeB sandwiched by MgO and tantalum layers using polarized neutron reflectometry

The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in CoFeB sandwiched by MgO and tantalum layers was investigated using anomalous Hall effect and polarized neutron reflectometry. It was found that a large PMA in the CoFeB above MgO layer was related to its low magnetization compared to the case of CoFeB under MgO layer. Using the sensitivity of neutrons to the absorption cross-section of boron, we unambiguously determined the depth profile of the boron distribution and showed that after annealing, most of the boron diffused to form a 2-nm-thick interface layer between the CoFeB and tantalum layers. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4718423]