Magnetization, magnetoresistance, and x-ray diffraction measurements of discontinuous [Ni80Fe20/Ag] multilayers (abstract)

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Thin films for magnetic sensor application require a high sensitivity at low magnetic fields, for example, realized by Permalloy films. Promising candidates for a further improvement are discontinuous multilayers, first reported by Hylton et al. In our study, we report on [2.5 nm Ni80Fe20/y nm Ag] multilayers with the spacer layer thickness y ranging from 1.2 nm to 6.0 nm. The multilayers were electron beam deposited in UHV at different temperatures. The substrates used are thermally oxidized silicon wafers. The magnetization is obtained using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), the magnetoresistance is measured at room temperature with the Montgomery method. Low and high angle x-ray diffraction measurements are performed in a Siemens D-5000 diffractometer. The samples are annealed ex situ between room temperature and 340 °C. The magnetoresistance is maximal after annealing the samples at a specific temperature, which decreases with increasing Ag-spacer thickness y. Moreover, the GMR decreases if the multilayers are deposited at elevated temperatures (100–200 °C). We also report on the dependence of the GMR on the interface roughness (σ≊0.5 nm rms) which we deduce from the small angle x-ray diffraction measurements. For a characterization of the reliability, we also investigated the dependence of the GMR on aging at 100 °C for several hours.