Electron scattering at interfaces: A tight-binding approach.

Abstract

We examine, within the tight-binding approximation, the transmission and reflection coefficients at a bimetallic interface as a function of the interface atomic structure. This is a crucial issue in the study of electronic transport in multilayered systems in general, and the so-called giant magnetoresistance in magnetic multilayers in particular. We have investigated the effect of an additional thin layer of a different material at the interface (analogous to delta doping in semiconductors). We find that, depending on the electronic structure of the materials, the reflection coefficient may be either enhanced or suppressed, and that the presence of interface electronic states causes dramatic increases in the reflection coefficient.