Multilayered Co/Cu wires with a diameter of 80 nm and a length of 6 mu
m were produced by electrodeposition in nanoporous polycarbonate memb
ranes. Their magnetoresistance has been measured in a geometry where t
he current was perpendicular to the layer plane. The anisotropic part
of the magnetoresistance was limited to 1.5%. The study, for layer thi
cknesses ranging from 3 to 100 nm interpreted in terms of the Valet an
d Fert model gave estimates of the spin dependent bulk and interface r
esistivities acid their change with temperature. The large Co bulk res
istivity value, caused by a large amount of Cu impurities, limited the
magnetoresistance in our samples to 20% at room temperature and 30% a
t 20 K. The Cu spin flip mean free path was found to be temperature in
dependent and determined by scattering at Co impurities in the Cu laye
r. It was measured for two sets of samples with different amounts of C
o impurities. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.