Magnetic materials and devices comprising rare earth nitrides

A method of preparing a magnetic material, the magnetic material comprising a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a blocking layer between and in contact with each of the first and second ferromagnetic layers, wherein the first and second ferromagnetic layers have different coercive fields, and wherein the first ferromagnetic layer comprises a first rare earth nitride material and the second ferromagnetic layer comprises a second rare earth nitride material, and wherein the first and second rare earth nitride materials are each independently selected from the group consisting of praseodymium nitride (PrN), neodymium nitride (NdN), samarium nitride (SmN), europium nitride (EuN), gadolinium nitride (GdN), terbium nitride (TbN), dysprosium nitride (DyN), holmium nitride (HoN), erbium nitride (ErN), thulium nitride (TmN), and ytterbium nitride (YbN), and alloys of any two or more thereof, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) depositing the first ferromagnetic layer comprising the first rare earth nitride material;
• (b) depositing the blocking layer on the first ferromagnetic layer formed in step (a);
• and
• (c) depositing the second ferromagnetic layer comprising the second rare earth nitride material on the blocking layer formed in step (b),
• wherein the blocking layer is a material selected from the group consisting of LaN, LuN, HfN, AlN, GaN, and (Al,In,Ga)N alloys.