ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
We have observed giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in unannealed NiFe/Ag multilayer thin-film stripes. Rectangular stripes having constant thickness and a constant 11:1 length-to-width aspect ratio, but varying widths down to 0.5 μm, were measured. Two types of multilayer configurations were tested, a system of five NiFe/Ag bilayers with 5.5-nm-thick Ag spacer layers, and a system of nine bilayers with 4.4-nm-thick Ag layers. In contrast to the characteristic of annealed NiFe/Ag multilayer stripes, the unnannealed stripes produced increasing GMR ratios for decreasing stripe sizes, with the 0.5-μm-wide stripe of the five-bilayer system exhibiting a ΔR/R of 2.5%. Barkhausen noise and response broadening also increased with decreasing stripe size, however. The results are discussed in terms of magnetostatic coupling of the NiFe layers within the stripes.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.362017
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