Fe/Cr multilayers: Effect of annealing on the spin structure and magnetoresistance

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1994 · Journal of Applied Physics; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.356093· OSTI ID:5263090

Hahn, W; Loewenhaupt, M ^[1]; Felcher, G P; Huang, Y Y ^[2]; Parkin, S S.P. ^[3]

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1. Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany)
2. Material Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439-4845 (United States)
3. IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, California 95120-6099 (United States)

The spin structure of antiferromagnetic Fe/Cr multilayers has been investigated by polarized neutron reflectivity. Measurements were taken on freshly sputtered films as well as films annealed at different temperatures. For annealing temperatures up to 350 [degree]C adjacent Fe layers were found to remain antiferromagnetic, but the coupling strength gradually decreases. In multilayers annealed at higher temperature both antiferro- and ferromagnetic phases are present. In all cases the magnetoresistance is proportional to the amount of antiferromagnetism. The presence of off-specular, diffuse scattering around the antiferromagnetic Bragg peak indicates that the magnetic domains are laterally limited; however, their size is not correlated directly to the magnetoresistance.

• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5263090
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics; (United States), Vol. 75:7; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CHROMIUM
MAGNETORESISTANCE
IRON
SPIN ORIENTATION
ANNEALING
ANTIFERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
SPUTTERING
THIN FILMS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
MAGNETIC MATERIALS
MATERIALS
METALS
ORIENTATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
360104* - Metals & Alloys- Physical Properties