Multi-stepwise GMR and layers magnetic reversal in uniaxial Fe/Cr superlattices

• Published in: Physica status solidi. C Vol. 3; no. 5; pp. 1249 - 1256
• Main Authors: Ustinov, V. V., Milyaev, M. A., Romashev, L. N., Krinitsina, T. P., Burkhanov, A. M., Lauter-Pasyuk, V. V., Lauter, H. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.05.2006; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: 75.30.Kz; 75.70.-i; 75.75.+a
• ISSN: 1862-6351; 1610-1634; 1610-1642
• DOI: 10.1002/pssc.200563102

We investigated the structure, magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of the antiferromagnetically coupled superlattices [Fe(85Å)/Cr(t , Å)]12 with the Cr layers thickness tCr =12.4 and 13.6 Å grown simultaneously on (100)MgO and (211)MgO substrates. It is shown that (211)MgO substrate is appropriate for the growth of (210)Fe/Cr multilayers with a strong uniaxial in‐plane anisotropy. The stepwise behavior of magnetization and magnetoresistance is revealed in the case when the magnetic field is applied along the easy axis in the film plane of the (211)MgO/[(210)Fe/Cr]12 superlattices. The steps on the M (H ) and ΔR (H )/R dependences are caused by the flip of magnetic moments of individual Fe layers. The qualitative information about the sequence of spin‐flip transitions is extracted from the comparative analysis of magnetization and magnetoresistance data. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)