Intermixing and phase separation at the atomic scale in Co-rich (Co,Fe) and Cu multilayered nanostructures

Despite the fact that Co-rich (Co,Fe) alloys and Cu are immiscible materials in bulk form, evidence of thermally induced mixing at the atomic scale has been observed in thin-film multilayers of (Co,Fe) and Cu. However, long term anneals at lower temperatures produced a breakup of the multilayers into a two-phase mixture of (Co,Fe) and Cu particles. The observations were made with the use of the three-dimensional atom probe technique, with supporting evidence from differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction. Besides their scientific importance, these results are of interest where these (Co,Fe) and Cu thin films are used to produce the giant magnetoresistive effect.