Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-v5vhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T10:58:28.415Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perpendicular Resistance of Co/Cu Multilayers Prepared by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

N.J. List ,
W.P. Pratt Jr ,
M.A. Howson ,
J. Xu ,
M.J. Walker ,
B.J. Hickey  and
D. Greig
N.J. List
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
W.P. Pratt Jr
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
M.A. Howson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
J. Xu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
M.J. Walker
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
B.J. Hickey
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
D. Greig
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Get access

Abstract

Results are presented of the magnetoresistance of MBE-grown (111) Co/Cu multilayers measured with the current perpendicular to the plane of the layers (CPP). Although for measurements made with the more common geometry of current in the plane of the layers (CIP) there are large differences between the results on samples made by sputtering and those prepared by MBE, for these new CPP data the results on samples made by the two techniques are very much alike. For copper layers with thicknesses between 0.9nm to 6nm the magnetoresistance shows oscillations with copper thickness that were almost non-existent in the earlier CIP data. At the second peak the magnetoresistance in the CPP geometry is an order of magnitude greater than that in the CIP configuration. Although the interfaces in these samples have been shown to be very sharp, they appear to form a mosaic structure with the antiferromagnetic regions embedded in a ferromagnetic structure. It is argued that for CIP measurements the GMR is greatly reduced by these ferromagnetic correlations over lengthscales long compared to the electron mean free path. For CPP measurements, on the other hand, it is the spin diffusion length that is the determining factor with the mean free path no longer a key parameter and with values of the GMR virtually independent of the growth process.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 384: Symposium L – Magnetic Ultrathin films, Multilayers and Surfaces , 1995 , 329
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Barnas, J. and Fert, A., J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 136, 260 (1994).Google Scholar
2. Sheng, L. and Xing, D.Y., J. Phys: Cond. Matter 50, 6089 (1994).Google Scholar
3. Zhang, S.F. and Levy, P.M., Phys. Rev. B. 50, 6089 (1994).Google Scholar
4. Fert, A., Valet, T. and Barnas, J., J. Applied Phys. 75, 6693 (1994).Google Scholar
5. Vedyaev, A., Cowache, C., Ryzhanova, A. and Dieny, B., Phys. Letters A, 198, 267 (1995).Google Scholar
6. Schep, K.M., Kelly, P.J. and Bauer, G.E.W., Phys. Rev. Letts. 74, 586 (1995)Google Scholar
7. Gijs, M.A.M., Lenczowski, S.K.J. and Giesbers, J.B., Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 3343 (1993).Google Scholar
8. Gijs, M.A.M., Giesbers, J.B., Johnson, M.T., Destegge, J.B.F.A., Lenczowski, S.K.J., Vandeveerdonk, R.J.M. and Dejonge, W.J.M., J. Applied Phys. 75, 6709 (1994)Google Scholar
9. Piraux, L., George, J.M., Despres, J.F, Leroy, C, Ferain, E, Legras, R, Ounadjela, K. and Fert, A., Applied Phys. Letts. 65, 2484 (1994).Google Scholar
10. Blondel, A., Meier, J.P., Doudin, B and Ansermet, J.P, Applied Phys. Letts, 65, 3019 (1994)Google Scholar
11. Pratt, W.P. Jr, Lee, S-F., Slaughter, J.M., Loloee, R., Schroeder, P.A. and Bass, J., Phys. Rev. Letts, 66, 3060 (1991).Google Scholar
12. Slaughter, J.M., Pratt, W.P. Jr and Schroeder, P.A., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60, 127 (1988).Google Scholar
13.A preliminary description of this experiment is given in List, N.J., Pratt, W.P. Jr, Howson, M.A., Xu, J., Walker, M.J. and Greig, D., J. Magn.and Magn. Materials (in press).Google Scholar
14. Schreyer, A., Brohl, K., Ankner, J.F., Majkrzak, C.F., Zeidler, T., Bodeker, P., Metoki, N. and Zabel, H., Phys. Rev. B 47, 15334 (1993).Google Scholar
15. For earlier references on Nb growth on sapphire see Lamelas, F.J., He, Hui and Clarke, R., Phys. Rev. B 38, 6334 (1988).Google Scholar
16. Zhang, S/ and Levy, P.M., Phys.Rev. B 50, 6089 (1994)Google Scholar
17. Pratt, W.P. Jr, Lee, S-F., Holody, P., Yang, Q., Loloee, R., Bass, J. and Schroeder, P.A., J. Magn. Magn. Materials 126, 406 (1993).Google Scholar
18. Grolier, V., Renard, D., Bartenlian, B., Beauvillain, P., Chappert, C., Dupas, C., Ferre, J., Galtier, M., Kolb, E., Mulloy, M., Renard, J.P and Veillet, P., Phys. Rev. Letts. 71, 3023 (1993).Google Scholar
19. Howson, M.A., Hickey, B.J., Xu, J., Greig, D. and Wiser, N., Phys. Rev. B 48, 1322 (1993)Google Scholar
20. Thomson, T., Riedi, P.C. and Greig, D., Phys. Rev. B 50, 10319 (1994).Google Scholar