Giant Magnetoresistance in Co-Cu/Cu Multilayers Prepared by Various Electrodeposition Control Modes

Abstract

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect was studied on electrodeposited Co-Cu/Cu multilayers of 300 bilayer repeats which were produced in an electrochemical cell with homogeneous current distribution from a bath with two solutes The preparation employed the conventional potentiostatic/potentiostatic and galvanostatic/galvanostatic, as well as an unprecedented galvanostatic/potentiostatic (G/P) control. We find that the specific deposition parameters rather than the deposition mode itself are decisive for the magnitude of the GMR which could be as high as 10% measured at 1 kOe on substrate-free multilayers in optimized G/P conditions. For this new deposition mode, detailed studies on the dependence of GMR on Co and Cu layer thicknesses as well as the bath pH were performed. No oscillatory behavior of the GMR as a function of the Cu layer thickness could be observed. The results suggest the importance of a Co-dissolution and/or a Co vs. Cu exchange reaction after completing the deposition of each magnetic layer. These reactions lead to the formation of a Cu or Cu-rich interface layer prior to the electrochemical deposition of the actual Cu layer during the subsequent pulse in either deposition mode. It turned out that the properties of this interfacial layer (thickness, degree of chemical intermixing) strongly influence the resulting GMR behavior of the multilayer. © 2003 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.