Blocking Temperature Engineering in Exchange-Biased CoFeB/IrMn Bilayer

In this paper, we report on the magnetic and chemical characterization of the exchange-biased CoFeB/IrMn bilayers, grown by magnetron sputtering on a Si-based platform and capped by either a Ru or MgO/Ru overlayer. For Ru capping, the locking temperature monotonously increases with the IrMn thickness within the investigated range (3.5–8 nm). On the contrary, for MgO/Ru capping, the exchange bias is inhibited below 6 nm, whereas above 6 nm, the magnetic behavior is the same of Ru-capped films. The chemical analysis reveals a significant dependence of the Mn content from the capping layer for thin IrMn films (2.5 nm), whereas the difference disappears when IrMn becomes thick (7 nm). Our work suggests that a non-uniform composition of the IrMn films directly affects the exchange coupling at the IrMn/CoFeB interface.