EFFECTS OF BULK AND INTERFACE SCATTERING ON GIANT MAGNETORESISTANCE IN MAGNETIC MULTILAYERS

Authors
Citation
J. Inoue, EFFECTS OF BULK AND INTERFACE SCATTERING ON GIANT MAGNETORESISTANCE IN MAGNETIC MULTILAYERS, Journal of magnetism and magnetic materials, 164(3), 1996, pp. 273-283
Citations number
50
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Material Science","Physics, Condensed Matter
ISSN journal
0304-8853
Volume
164
Issue
3
Year of publication
1996
Pages
273 - 283
Database
ISI
SICI code
0304-8853(1996)164:3<273:EOBAIS>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
The effects on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of various types of r andomness in magnetic multilayers are studied using a simple two-band (s + d) model for FM/Cu/FM-type trilayers, where FM is the ferromagnet ic metal or alloy. Three types of randomness: (i) spin-independent ran domness, (ii) spin-dependent bulk and (iii) spin-dependent interface r andomness, are taken into account to calculate CIP (current in plane t o layers) GMR. The conductivity is calculated in the Kubo formalism. I t is shown that the dependence of GMR on the spin-independent randomne ss is rather strong and that both bulk and interface randomness contri bute to GMR in permalloy/Cu-type multilayers. Based on the calculated results, we analyze the concentration dependence of the GMR of Co-Ni/C u multilayers and find that the interface randomness governs the basic feature of the concentration dependence of GMR in these multilayers. The other types of randomness, however, are necessary to obtain quanti tative agreement between the experimental and theoretical values of th e MR ratio. The implications of GMR effects observed in amorphous FM/C u multilayers are also presented.