Anomalous Hall effect assisted by interfacial chemical reaction in perpendicular Co/Pt multilayers

To uncover the underlying mechanism of Mg effect on the improved anomalous Hall effect (AHE) of perpendicular [Pt/Co](3)/Mg/HfO2 multilayers, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis has been carried out. It is found that Mg interlayer at the Co/HfO2 interface could prevent the Co oxidation to some extent via interfacial chemical reaction. As a result, A large anomalous Hall resistivity (qAH) is obtained in perpendicular [Pt/Co](3)/Mg/HfO2 multilayers, with a maximum qAH of 3.02 mu Omega cm, which is 59% larger than that in Co/Pt multilayers without Mg insertion. This effective modification of the AHE based on interfacial chemical reaction provides a promising pathway for spintronic applications. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.