Polarized neutron reflectivity of Co/Cu multilayers with Co–Cu mixed layers at interfaces between Co and Cu layers

Abstract

The Co/Cu multilayers with different interfacial roughness were studied by magnetization, magnetoresistance and polarized neutron reflectivity measurements to elucidate a role of interfacial roughness in a giant magnetoresistance effect. Polarized neutron reflectivity measurments revealed that the integrated intensities of the Bragg peak from the ferromagnetic alignment of Co layers were reduced with increasing interfacial roughness and that the coherent antiferromagnetic alignment of Co layers from the bottom to the top layer was not realized at a magnetoresistance peak.