Magnetoresistance effect and magnetoanisotropy of Co/Cu multilayered films prepared by electron beam evaporation

We attempted to prepare Co/Cu ferromagnetic layer films with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy by oblique incidence angle electron beam method. The purpose of the present note is to show the effect of the magnetic orientation in the ferromagnetic layer on the magnetoresistance of both GMR and AMR. The induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was observed in the all multilayer films formed by varying the oblique incidence angle of evaporation direction and the easy axis of the anisotropy is along the perpendicular direction (x-direction) of the incidence of evaporation. The sample produced near the oblique incidence angle of 45° shows the remarkable uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The MR ratio of anisotropic sample is less than that of isotropic sample. In the weak magnetic field, the difference for the magnetic field dependence of MR is clearly observed with depending on the orientation of magnetization, that is, it is corresponding to the shape of the magnetization curves. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)