MeV ion irradiation of Co/Cu multilayers

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Abstract
We examine the effect of MeV ion-beam irradiation on the giant magnetoresistance and related interlayer magnetic coupling in sputtered Co/Cu multilayers. At ion doses higher than 1013/cm2, the resistivity of the multilayers increases noticeably, well beyond that measured for pure copper or cobalt films. This increase in resistivity of the multilayers is tentatively ascribed to ion-beam-induced interface disorder. With increasing dose, the magnetic interlayer coupling passes systematically from a mainly antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling to a ferromagnetic one and, in parallel, the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is progressively destroyed. A linear relationship between the GMR and the volume fraction of AF coupled regions is observed up to an ion dose of 2×1014/cm2.