Investigation of microstructures in a Fe/Al_2O_3/Fe tunneling junction prepared using the ion-beam sputtering technique

摘要

A series of Fe/Al_2O_3/Fe tunneling junction samples were fabricated using the ion beam sputtering technique. The microstructures of these samples were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic fore microscopy (AFM), and high resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM). The results show that Al_2O_3 larys are well formed in the sample, but that an interdiffusion exists mainly at the interface between the bottom Fe and Al_2O_3 layers.