ELECTRON-SCATTERING MECHANISMS IN GIANT MAGNETORESISTANCE COMPUTED BYTHE LACO FULL-POTENTIAL METHOD

The linearized atomic-cell orbital (LACO) method for local density fun ctional calculations has been implemented in a program package for ene rgy bands and valence shell energies of regular periodic solids. This method has been used to compute spin-dependent electrical resistivity due to scattering by displaced interface atoms in a layered CuCo super lattice. The magnetoresistance ratio Delta R/R(up arrow up arrow) obta ined for this scattering mechanism is 25.03. When the computed interfa ce resistivity is weighted by estimated interpenetration concentration and combined with bulk resistivity, Delta R/R reduces to the expected experimental magnitude for adjacent CuCoCu layers. (C) 1994 John Wile y & Sons, Inc.