OSCILLATIONS OF INTERLAYER COUPLING AND MAGNETOOPTICS IN SPUTTERED CO-AL CU MULTILAYERS/

We have prepared [CO90Al10/Cu](30) multilayers by ion beam sputtering and studied the behavior of interlayer coupling, magnetoresistance, an d the magneto-optical Kerr effect. For Co-Al/Cu multilayers, the in-pl ane saturation field, coercive force H-C and magnetoresistance ratio D elta R/R have been observed to oscillate with a period of about 0.9 nm , as a function of Cu spacer layer thickness. Furthermore, polar Ken r otation theta(k) in visible wavelength range also oscillates with the same period. The magneto-optical activities may be attributed to chang es in the optical constants with the magnetic state. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.