Advantages of using Cu1-хInх alloys as spacers in GMR multilayers

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 917; p. 165512
• Main Authors: Milyaev, M.A., Naumova, L.I., Proglyado, V.V., Pavlova, A.Yu, Makarova, M.V., Patrakov, E.I., Glazunov, N.P., Ustinov, V.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 05.10.2022; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Alloys; Coercivity; Crystallite size; Crystallites; Cu1-xInx; Ferromagnetic materials; Ferromagnetism; Giant magnetoresistance; Indium; Low coercivity; Magnetic alloys; Magnetoresistance; Magnetoresistivity; Multilayer; Multilayers; Spacers; Crystallite size; Giant magnetoresistance; Low coercivity; Multilayer; Spacers; Cu1-xInx
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.165512

It is shown that CuIn alloys can be effectively used as spacers in GMR multilayers. Attention is paid to the method of obtaining of the homogeneous CuIn alloys. Magnetron targets Cu1-xInx with an indium content х = 2–8.7 at% have been used for preparation of exchange-coupled multilayers of the composition glass/Ta(5)/Ni48Fe12Cr40(5)/[Co90Fe10(1.3)/Cu1-xInx(2–2.2 nm)]7/Ta(5). A decrease in GMR ratio was found with an increase in the content of indium in the alloy Cu1-xInx. For x < 4.7 at% a slight decrease in magnetoresistance is observed. The sharpest decrease in the GMR ratio from 23.3% to 3.2% is observed when the indium content changes in the range x = 4.7–8.7 at%. It is demonstrated that the coercivity of CoFe/Cu1-xInx multilayers decreases more than 5 times when the indium content increases in the range of х = 0–4.7 at. %. A correlation between the crystallite sizes in multilayers and the change of coercivity has been revealed. It is shown that the substitution in the multilayers studied of Co90Fe10 alloy by Co-rich ternary ferromagnetic alloys Co77Fe17Ni6 and Co70Fe20Ni10 made it possible to obtain CoFeNi/CuIn multilayers with GMR ratio of 25–29%, extremely low coercivity of several Oe, and high linearity of the field dependence of magnetoresistance. The combination of these characteristics is useful for practical applications. •CuIn alloys can be effectively used as spacers in GMR multilayers.•Indium content in Cu1−xInx significantly affects the crystallite size of multilayers.•Correlation between crystallite size and coercivity has been found.•Extremely low coercivity of several Oe was obtained in CoFeNi/CuIn multilayers.•Multilayers with low coercivity and GMR ratio of 25–29% are useful for applications.