CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB structures with orthogonal easy axes: perpendicular anisotropy and damping

Abstract

We report on the Gilbert damping parameter $α$, the effective magnetization $4πM_{eff}$, and the asymmetry of the $g$-factor in bottom-CoFeB(0.93~nm)/MgO(0.90--1.25~nm)/CoFeB(1.31~nm)-top as-deposited systems. Magnetization of CoFeB layers exhibits a specific noncollinear configuration with orthogonal easy axes and with $4πM_{eff}$ values of $+2.2$ kG and $-2.3$ kG for the bottom and top layers, respectively. We show that $4πM_{eff}$ depends on the asymmetry $g_\perp - g_\parallel$ of the $g$-factor measured in the perpendicular and the in-plane directions revealing a highly nonlinear relationship. In contrast, the Gilbert damping is practically the same for both layers. Annealing of the films results in collinear easy axes perpendicular to the plane for both layers. However, the linewidth is strongly increased due to enhanced inhomogeneous broadening.