Magnetoresistance in Ni-Fe/Cu Multilayers.

Abstract
Ni8OFe20/Cu multilayers were prepared on a glass substrate by magnetron sputtering. The dependence of the magnetoresistance on the thickness of the Cu layer, the thickness of the Ni-Fe layer, the thickness of the buffer layers for Fe, Ni80Fe20, Cu, and the number of bilayers was investigated. The MR ratio exhibited a peak at dCu=10Å, Where the MR ratio was about 20% at room temperature. When the thickness of the Ni80Fe20 layer was varied, the MR ratio exhibited a broad peak at dNi-Fe=15∼30Å. The interlayer exchange interaction is evaluated as about 3×10-2 erg/cm2, irrespective of the thickness of the buffer layer. The MR ratio increased with an increase in the number of bilayers N, and saturated when the total film thickness was about 800∼1000Å.