Perpendicular magnetization of Co2FeAl full-Heusler alloy films induced by MgO interface

The perpendicular magnetization of Co2FeAl (CFA) full-Heusler alloy films was achieved in the structures of CFA/MgO and MgO/CFA with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy density (KU) of 2–3×106 erg/cm3, which can be used as the perpendicular ferromagnetic electrodes of MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with high thermal stability at sub-50-nm dimension. The CFA thickness dependence of KU was investigated at different annealing temperatures, indicating that the perpendicular anisotropy of CFA is contributed by the interfacial anisotropy between CFA and MgO. This letter will open up a way for obtaining perpendicular magnetization of Co-based full-Heusler alloys, which is promising for further reduction in the critical current of current induced magnetization switching in MgO-based MTJ nanopillars with perpendicular full-Heusler alloy electrodes.