Perpendicular Anisotropy in Heusler Alloy Layers Induced by a V Seed Layer

We have studied the effects of a seed layer of vanadium on the anisotropy of the full-Heusler alloy Co
₂
FeSi (CFS) for application as a perpendicularly anisotropic ferromagnetic layer for a current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance device. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) was estimated from the susceptibility in the linear magnetizing region of hysteresis loops for various layer thicknesses of CFS. Introduction of a second vanadium interface with the CFS was found to increase the observed PMA to a value of K = 3.4 × 10
⁴
erg/cm
³
. Basic spin-valve structures were fabricated to investigate the effect of spacer layers on two layers of CFS.