Magnetoresistance in rf-sputtered (NiFe/Cu/Co/Cu) spin-valve multilayers
Year: 1993
Type: article
Abstract: A study of the variation of the magnetoresistance in (Ni80Fe20/Cu/Co/Cu) multilayers with the thicknesses tNiFe, tCo, and tCu of each type of component layer has been performed. The magnetoresistance (MR), which at 4.2 K is larger than 20% for many samples, has been measured for fields applied both parallel and perpendicular to the current. This allows a direct measurement of the anisotropic magnetorestistance as well as an estimate of the spin-valve contribution to the total MR. The dependence of the MR on tCu indicates the presence of an oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling through the Cu layers with a period of about 12 Å. The dependence of the MR on tNiFe and tCo was studied at tCu=50 Å, for which the coupling is negligible. In this limit, the variation of the MR is dominated by the thickness dependence of the NiFe and Co component layer coercivities, which determine the degree of antiparallel alignement obtained during magnetization reversal.
Source: Journal of Applied Physics
DOI: 10.1063/1.353687
Authors: D. Lottis, A. Fert, R. Morel, L. G. Pereira, J. C. Jacquet, P. Galtier, J. M. Coutellier, T. Valet
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of Minnesota
OpenAlex ID: W1999511461