Synthesis and characterization of Fe3Si/SiO2 structures for spintronics

The Fe3Si thin film is a good candidate as ferromagnetic electrode in spintronics devices due to its high spin polarization and high Curie temperature. The use of Fe3Si in contact with a thin SiO2 barrier can have various applications in practical devices, such as magnetic tunnel junctions. We report on the synthesis of Fe3Si/SiO2 structures, in one vacuum cycle, by pulsed laser deposition and glow-discharge plasma oxidation followed by vacuum annealing. The structural and morphological characterization of the Fe3Si/SiO2 stacks is performed by in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and with atomic force microscopy. Using a Fe-57 tracer layer, conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy is performed at the Fe3Si/SiO2 interface, proving the formation of a ferromagnetic phase with no paramagnetic inclusions. Our experimental results indicate that the Fe3Si/SiO2 stack is a promising system for application in spintronics devices. (C) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.