Structural, magnetic and transport properties of antiferromagnetically coupled Co Cu multilayers

Structural, magnetic. and transport properties of (Co17 Angstrom/Cu21 Angstrom) x 20 multilayers grown by RF sputtering on Si were studied. Samples deposited on a Fe buffer layer present a regular stacking of Co and Cu layers together with a pronounced giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect which accounts for an appreciable antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling among Co layers. Hest treatment was found to have a complex effect on GMR while it left the saturation magnetization unchanged. The effect of annealing on magnetic and elastic properties was analyzed by Brillouin light scattering (BLS). An increase of the effective magnetization, as well as an increase of the surface acoustic wave velocity, approaching the value expected for an ideal multilayer, were observed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.