Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and ferromagnetic properties of DC and pulse electrodeposited Cu–Co alloys

Cu–Co ferromagnetic alloys occurring as granular films and exhibiting giant magnetoresistance (GMR) property have been synthesized using both DC and pulse electrodeposition techniques. The growth process of these electrodeposits comprising multiple granules of disparate morphology, magnetic features exhibits critical dependence on electrodeposition conditions. Using ferromagnetic resonance and magnetic hysteresis data, we have attempted a correlation between evolution of these electrodeposits and their ferromagnetic properties with special emphasis on GMR property.     

Modelling the magnetorefractive effect in giant magnetoresistive granular and layered materials

The Zhang–Levy–Granovskii (Z–L–G) model of the magnetorefractive effect (MRE) in granular films and the Jacquet–Valet (J–V) model, originally developed for magnetic multilayers, are compared and their common origin demonstrated. Simulations in an extended Hagen–Rubens (H–R) model give new insight into the variation with wavelength of the MRE, and the relative dependence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and the MRE to material and experimental parameters such as bulk and interface scattering parameters, mean free paths, grain diameter, polarisation and reflection geometry is explored. The sensitivity of the size, wavelength dependence and the position of the depth of the minimum in the MRE spectra to the different parameters is verified. We establish powerful new equations to correlate the MRE and GMR, and we analyse their validity for a variety of film parameters. This suggests a new approach to the use of the MRE in sensing GMR in the films.     

金属颗粒薄膜巨磁电阻效应的影响因素

研究金属颗粒薄膜的颗粒尺寸、磁性组分等对巨磁电阻效应的影响.在自由电子模型和自旋相关散射理论的基础上，计算了金属颗粒膜体系的电子平均散射势.在计算过程中将自旋相关项与宏观量相联系，得到了巨磁电阻效应与磁性成分比例、颗粒尺寸的关系.磁电阻效应的模拟曲线表明，增加磁性成分比例和减小磁性颗粒尺寸可增强颗粒膜的巨磁电阻效应. 关键词：     

Correlation between magnetotransport properties and the microstructure of the Co20Cu80 granular alloy

We report on the structural, transport and magnetic properties of Co₂₀Cu₈₀ metallic granular films. The granular films are prepared by ion-beam sputtering at room temperature on glass substrates. The structural properties have been investigated using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Structural characterisation confirmed that the samples consist of fine magnetic particles embedded in the non-magnetic Cu matrix. Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of 3% is observed at room temperature after annealing at 250°C for 30 min. Detailed structural analysis is performed to understand the origin of the small GMR signal. It is confirmed that this result is directly correlated to the small size, density, and non-uniform distribution of Co particles.     

CoFe-based granular alloys: the role of the metallic matrix

RF-sputtered CoFe-NM granular alloys (NM=Ag, Cu) with CoFe volume content, x_v, ranging from 0.10 to 0.45 have been studied. These two series of samples show similar features depending on the synthesis conditions and post-deposition annealing treatments, revealing the strong dependence of magnetotransport properties on microstructure. Three different regimes have been observed as x_v is increased: the classical giant magnetoresistance (GMR) regime at low ferromagnetic contents; at intermediate x_v, a domain structure appears, and GMR and anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) together with domain wall scattering are observed; and a third regime at x_v close but below the volume percolation threshold, where the two latter contributions still coexist, while the GMR contribution has been suppressed by strong magnetic correlations. The role of the metallic matrix is crucial to determine the crossover ferromagnetic contents between these three regimes, which depend on the relative immiscibility of CoFe either in the Ag or Cu matrices and the diffusivity of Ag and Cu. Moreover, the metallic matrix settles the degree of CoFe segregation, sample crystallisation and texture, which are responsible for the magnetotransport properties.     

Electrical properties of nanocomposites subjected to deformation

The electrophysical properties of a new type of nanocomposites are considered. In these materials, the metallic granules are distributed in a rubberlike matrix. Nanocomposites exhibit either metallic or hopping conduction, depending on the bulk concentration of the metallic granules. The effect of pressure (for hydrostatic compression and for uniaxial deformation) upon the resistance of such composites is studied in both conduction regimes. The practically important extremely strong dependence of their resistance upon pressure in the hopping conduction regime is a consequence of the exponentially strong dependence of the probability of intergranule electron tunneling on the distance between the granules.     

磁性颗粒膜法拉第转角的研究

在外磁场作用下,复合介质的法拉第磁光效应依赖于颗粒膜电介质张量。而复合介质的电介质张量的计算相当复杂。运用了有效介质近似理论,利用非均匀复合介质的有效电场等于单个颗粒中局域场的平均值的自恰条件,由电介质张量εe方程及自洽条件导出了计算磁性颗粒膜系统磁光法拉第转角的解析公式。并应用导出的关系,以Cu金属颗粒为例,讨论了颗粒膜中金属颗粒含量及对应的基质、离子浓度、颗粒形状对法拉第转角的影响,结果表明,利用有效介质近似理论计算的结果与实验结果一致。     

多晶钙钛矿锰氧化物中的巨磁电阻与磁场关系

本论文研究了多晶锰氧化物磁电阻和磁场的关系,在低温和低场下,磁性纳米团簇的磁矩转动和晶粒边界的自旋二级隧穿对磁电阻起主要作用因高于Tc时,由弱化强度随温度关系的实验结果指出顺磁态中已出现铁磁团簇,因此它类似于磁性颗粒膜中的巨磁电阻（CMR）机制;在顺磁－铁磁相变区,既有颗粒贡献又有界面的隧道贡献,这一理论模型与多晶La0.825Sr0.175MnO3中的实验结果很好地吻合。     

Embedded nanocrystallites prepared by ion implantation

Nanocrystallites embedded in substrates (granular materials) prepared by ion implantation have many unusual properties in comparison with bulk materials. Features are found such as high magnetic coercivity, size effect of the effective magnetic moment per atom, dependence of the interface magnetic hyperfine field on the Co concentration, nonlinear photoluminescence as well as charge transfer. We show that CEMS and emission Mössbauer spectroscopy are powerful tools for studying these granular systems.     

Temperature dependence of giant magnetoresistance in CoAg granular composite

The temperature dependence of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of CoAg composite is studied phenomenologically in this paper. It is considered that the composite contains both large magnetic grains and tiny clusters. The tiny clusters, composing of several atoms, lead to an almost linear increase of the giant magnetoresistance with the temperature reduction. Our calculations are in good agreement with recent experimental data for a nanogranular CoAg films.     

Intergranular giant magnetoresistance in a spontaneously phase separated perovskite oxide

We present small-angle neutron scattering data proving that, on the insulating side of the metal-insulator transition, the doped perovskite cobaltite La(1-x)Sr(x)CoO(3) phase separates into ferromagnetic metallic clusters embedded in a nonferromagnetic matrix. This induces a hysteretic magnetoresistance, with temperature and field dependence characteristic of intergranular giant magnetoresistance (GMR). We argue that this system is a natural analog to the artificial structures fabricated by depositing nanoscale ferromagnetic particles in a metallic or insulating matrix; i.e., this material displays a GMR effect without the deliberate introduction of chemical interfaces.     

Magnetoresistance in granular films formed by CoFe and phase change material

Magnetoresistance having a field and current dependence like that of GMR (but a rather small magnitude) has been observed in Co₇₀Fe₃₀/GeTe and Co₇₀Fe₃₀/Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ granular films. Film stacks were fabricated using tandem (multilayer) deposition and annealing was required for the films to develop the GMR-type response. This GMR-type behavior is distinct from AMR, which is observed before annealing. With films having the structure [CoFe 4 nm/GeTe 6 nm]₁₀, a magnetoresistance (MR) of 0.19 %, which has the GMR-type character can be observed after an optimal annealing temperature of 450 °C. TEM and X-ray reflectometry suggest that columnar granules with layered Fe form during deposition and with annealing. Magnetoresistive transport is believed to be between the discontinuous layers in each columnar grain. These discontinuous layers are observed to be superparamagnetic in SQUID ZFC-FC measurements measured from 5–300 K. Magnetoresistance can be fitted by the quadratic relation appropriate for GMR in granular films, especially at higher GeTe compositions. When Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ is used instead of GeTe, higher anneal temperatures are required before the MR with GMR character appears. This GMR type response does not appear when pure Fe is used instead of the CoFe alloy, with the samples showing only AMR in this case. This is due to the absence of Co which seems to cause a more granular growth.     

Phenomenological theory of the giant magnetoresistance of ferromagnet-nonmagnetic metal granular media

A phenomenological model is developed for the giant magnetoresistance of granular media comprising ferromagnetic granules in a nonmagnetic metal matrix. Both volume and surface spin-dependent scattering by the ferromagnetic granules are taken into account. The internal electric fields are inhomogeneous because of the different conductivities of the granules and the matrix. The dependence of the effective conductivity of the medium on the average magnetization is calculated and used to explain the giant magnetoresistance effect. The magnetoresistance is plotted as a function of the volume concentration of ferromagnetic granules and the granule radius. Experiments on Co-Cu and Co-Ag granular films are discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1871–1875 (October 1998)     

Long-time relaxation of the magnetization and tunneling magnetoresistance of granular ferromagnets

Magnetic anisotropy and orientational variance as well as shape diversity of granules largely determine the magnetic properties of granular ferromagnetic metals. The model of magnetically anisotropic ellipsoidal granules explains the glassy nature of the magnetic state of such systems. The relaxation of the magnetization and the magnetoresistance of granular ferromagnetic metals is examined on the basis of this model.     

(CoFe)_(1-x)Ag_x颗粒巨磁电阻薄膜的磁折射效应研究

在线非接触测试巨磁电阻效应对磁电子器件的工业化生产具有重要的意义 .用红外光谱研究了 (CoFe) 1 -xAgx颗粒薄膜的磁折射效应 ,研究表明在红外波段 ,一级近似可以认为巨磁电阻比值与磁折射变化率成正比 ,可以利用磁折射效应作为在线非接触工具测量与自旋散射相关的巨磁电阻效应 .     

Modelling the sensitivity of infrared emissivity of magnetic thin films to giant magnetoresistance

The correlation between emissivity and giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in magnetic thin films is investigated at infrared (IR) wavelengths using a thin-film model of emissivity. The sensitivity of emissivity to GMR is shown to depend upon film thickness, and agrees excellently with bulk-material results for films thicker than the material skin depth. However, for films thinner than the skin depth the sensitivity to GMR is shown to weaken. In addition, at mid-to-far IR wavelengths the spectral dependence of the correlation is investigated using a modified Drude-type expression for the refractive index combined with the thin-film model. This is applied to a multilayered GMR material, and the sensitivity of emissivity to GMR is shown to have a similar spectral dependence to that of the magnetorefractive effect. An analytical interpretation in terms of skin depth is also developed at long wavelengths, and shown to agree excellently with thin-film simulations.     

Giant magnetoresistance in Co–Al2O3 granular films prepared by self-organized growth

Co–Al₂O₃ granular films with a narrow distribution in cluster size of Co clusters embedded in Al₂O₃ matrix were prepared by sequential deposition based on self-organized growth. Resistivity dependence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) was studied. The GMR takes a maximum of 5.2% at room temperature and 9.4% at 13 K and 5700 Gs when the resistivity of the sample is 4×10⁵–7×10⁵ μΩ cm. The temperature dependence of resistivities and GMR were discussed especially. A temperature dependence of conductance ρ∼exp[T₁/(T+T₀)] was found, which indicates the dominant conduction mechanism is fluctuation-induced tunneling. A linear relationship of GMR versus T was observed, GMR=a–kT, in applied magnetic field 5700 Gs. The remarkable character of temperature dependence of GMR should be due to the special microstructure that the clusters are monodispersed in the films.     

SPIN-DEPENDENT INTERFACIAL TUNNELING AND MAGNETO RESISTANCE IN THE FAMILY OF GRANULAR PEROVSKITE La1-xSrxMnO*3

The magnetic transport properties in granular perovskite system La_1-xSr_xMnO^*₃ have been investigated. The spin-dependent inter facial tunneling and the corresponding giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect have been observed in the whole temperature range below the Curie point T_c for the samp les with concentration x from 0.05 to 0.45. Theoretical analysis shows that the interfacial tunneling originates from the difference in magnetism between surfaces and cores, and the tunnel-type GMR stems from the field-induced change of interfacial magnetic order.     

Enhanced granular magnetoresistance due to ferromagnetic layers

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of sequentially evaporated Fe-Ag structures has been investigated. Direct experimental evidence is given, showing that inserting ferromagnetic layers into a granular structure significantly enhances the magnetoresistance. The increase in the GMR effect is attributed to spin polarization effects. The large enhancement (up to more than a fourfold value) and the linear variation of the GMR in low magnetic fields are explained by scattering of the spin polarized conduction electrons on paramagnetic grains.