Buffer effect on GMR in thin Co/Cu multilayers

Fabrication, properties, and applications of flexible magnetic films

“…For fabricating magnetic films on flexible substrates, a suitable buffer layer is often required to reduce the roughness of flexible substrates and ensure the continuity and functionality of magnetic films and multilayered structures, such as giant magnetoresistance and spin-valve devices. [25][26][27] For example, the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of a PET substrate is about 2.16 nm, which is much larger than that of the thermally oxidized Si substrate. The 150-nm-thick Fe 81 Ga 19 film grown directly on flexible PET substrates exhibits a rootmean-square roughness of 3.34 nm.…”

Effect of annealing on microstructure of Co/Cu multilayers

“…It has been reported that the microstructure of multilayers has a great influence on both the oscillatory exchange coupling between magnetic layers and the spin dependent electron scattering [9]. With regard to Co/Cu multilayers extensive studies showed that the GMR effect is strongly linked to the multilayers microstructure [10][11][12][13]. Pollard et al [10] pointed out that random or highly oriented {111} fibre texture existed in Co/Cu multilayers, the randomly oriented multilayers exhibited clear antiferromagnetic coupling and about 20 % GMR, whereas {111} oriented multilayers are ferromagnetically coupled and show near zero GMR.…”

“…Pollard et al [10] pointed out that random or highly oriented {111} fibre texture existed in Co/Cu multilayers, the randomly oriented multilayers exhibited clear antiferromagnetic coupling and about 20 % GMR, whereas {111} oriented multilayers are ferromagnetically coupled and show near zero GMR. Bouziane et al [11] argued that the choice of a buffer layer is crucial for obtaining a high magnetoresistive effect on radio frequency (RF) sputtered Co/Cu multilayers. Wawro et al [12] concluded that a oscillatory magnetic coupling between Co sublayers was existed in Co/Cu multilayers, the maxima occurring for 1 and 2.5 nm thick Cu sublayers.…”

Photoresist-buffer-enhanced antiferromagnetic coupling and the giant magnetoresistance effect of Co/Cu multilayers

“…Additionally, the understanding of GMR phenomena has helped to initiate the development of magnetoelectronics (also known as spintronics) [4]. Although different GMR multilayer (ML) systems have been extensively investigated in the past few years, some ambiguity still persists regarding the GMR effect on the interface roughness, preferred crystal orientations of MLs, and the antiferromagnetic coupling [5,6]. Previous reports showed that the roughness (or interface roughness) would obviously influence the GMR effect and the relation between the roughness and GMR have been investigated in Fe/Cr [7][8][9], Co/Ag [10], and Co/Cu [11,12] GMR multilayers systems.…”

“…Au, Cr, Fe, Cu, Co, Ta, or Al) on structures and magnetotransport properties of GMR MLs have been intensively studied and reported in the literature [6,[13][14][15][16][17]. For example, Bouziane et al investigated the buffer effects of Fe, Cr, Cu, etc on the texture and interfacial roughness of grown layers, as well as magnetic and transport properties of Co/Cu MLs [6]; Breidbach et al reported the proximity effects of a Au buffer layer on the GMR effect of epitaxial Fe/Cr/Fe(001) trilayers [13]. However, there are few reports that use polymers as buffer layers.…”