Microwave response to the magnetization switching of CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB spin valves and CoFeB films

Abstract

Negative magnetoresistance modifying the quality factor of a microwave cavity under the magnetization switching of ferromagnetic layers has been discovered in a MgO/CoFeB/MgO/Ta film with a single ferromagnetic layer and a MgO/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO/Ta spin valve consisting of two ferromagnetic CoFeB layers. The dependence of the first derivative dP/dH of the microwave absorption signal on the dc magnetic field of the spectrometer exactly reproduce the magnetic hysteresis loops of the sample. The slope of these dependences and the amplitude of dP/dH jumps under remagnetization of the layers are determined by the interplay of a negative magnetoresistance of individual layers and a positive giant magnetoresistance of the entire multilayer structure. The discovered phenomenon allows using microwave absorption for making a high-sensitivity contact-free indicator of the basic magnetization states of a spin valve.