Magnetoresistive determination of the anisotropy energy and its strain dependence in thin Permalloy films

Abstract
The variation of longitudinal magnetoresistance with angle and strength of an applied field is used to determine the anisotropy energy and its strain dependence in 80-20 and 90-10 Permalloy films. The results can usually be interpreted in terms of single-domain theory. Measurements for applied strains at angles other than parallel or normal to the easy axis give information about the anisotropy of the strain dependence, and an applied strain bisecting these directions is a preferred orientation for finding the strain sensitivity for an isotropic planar strain.