Relation between interface roughness and giant magnetoresistance in MBE-grown polycrystalline Fe/Cr superlattices

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Abstract
We have studied the influence of the interface roughness on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of polycrystalline Fe/Cr superlattices, grown by molecular beam epitaxy on polycrystalline substrates. The interface quality was changed systematically by varying the growth temperature between 0 and 400 °C and by the use of a Cr seed layer. X-ray-diffraction spectra, combined with resistivity data, show that a moderate step density at the interfaces can enhance the GMR, whereas interdiffusion and important interface roughness strongly suppress the GMR.