Enhanced giant magnetoresistance in Fe/Cr multilayer films by Cr alloying of the Fe layers

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Abstract
The effect of the Cr alloying addition to the Fe layers in the Fe/Cr superlattice films [Fe(15 Å)/Cr(tÅ)]30), (t=8–20) on the magnetoresistance behavior has been investigated. The alloyed superlattice films exhibited significantly improved giant magnetoresistance effect (ΔR/R∼12.2% at 4.2 K) as compared to the unalloyed Fe/Cr multilayer films (ΔR/R∼6.9%). Both films exhibit ΔR/R dependence on the thickness of the Cr layer with the maximum ΔR/R occurring at ∼10 Å thickness. The M‐H loops indicate that antiferromagnetic coupling exists in both films, which is believed to be responsible for the observed giant magnetoresistance. The improvement in ΔR/R in the Cr‐alloyed superlattice films is attributed to the stronger spin‐dependent scattering of conduction electrons.