Correlation between structural imperfection and giant magnetoresistance inelectrodeposited Co/Cu multilayers

The effect of structural imperfection on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of electrodeposited Co/Cu multilayer films was examined. The Co/Cu multilay ers were grown on (100)-textured Cu seed layers on Si(100). Transmission el ectron microscopy revealed that the epitaxial growth of the Co/Cu multilaye rs results in columnar.-rains with an average width of 40-60 nm. The multil ayer structure is significantly perturbed by grain boundary grooving. The p erturbation gives rise to Strong magnetostatic coupling between neighboring magnetic layers, which overwhelms the desired antiferromagnetic exchange c oupling required for large GMR. (C) 2001 The Electrochemical Society.