Europhys. Lett, 44 (3), pp. 379-385 (1998)

Giant magnetoresistance in $\rm Fe/Cr$ superlattices
without bulk scattering

R. Schad ¹, P. Beliën ², G. Verbanck ², K. Temst ²
V. V. Moshchalkov ², Y. Bruynseraede ², D. Bahr ³
J. Falta ³, J. Dekoster ⁴ and G. Langouche ⁴

¹ Research Institute for Materials, KU Nijmegen - 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
² Laboratorium voor Vaste-Stoffysika en Magnetisme, K.U. Leuven
3001 Leuven, Belgium
³ Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor at DESY, Notkestr. 85
22607 Hamburg, Germany
⁴ Instituut voor Kern- en Stralenfisika - K.U. Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium

(received 16 April 1998; accepted in final form 17 September 1998)

PACS. 75.70Pa - Giant magnetoresistance.
PACS. 68.35Ct - Interface structure and roughness.
PACS. 61.10${\rm -i}$ - X-ray diffraction and scattering.

Abstract:

The Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) observed in magnetic multilayers is due to spin-dependent scattering of electrons at interfaces or bulk defects. In order to unambiguously separate these two possible contributions, we produced Fe/Cr superlattices with negligible bulk defects, thus providing only interface scattering. The vertical and lateral interface roughness parameters were quantitatively analysed using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Conversion Electron Mößbauer Spectroscopy. The magnitude of the GMR effect depends on both the vertical roughness amplitude $\eta$ and the step density $n_{\rm step}$. We find a linear increase of the Giant Magnetoresistance with $\eta\times n_{\rm step}$.

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