Magnetisation and magnetoresistance of Mo/Fe/Co superlattices

Abstract

In this paper, we present experimental studies of the structure, magnetic behavior and magnetoresistance of magnetic superlattices (MSL) [Mo(12Å)Fe(xÅ)Co(21Å)]*100 (x=4÷43). MSLs have been obtained by cathode sputtering with oscillating electrons on the substrate of mica (muscovite). MSLs investigated at room temperature are soft ferromagnets with induced in‐plane magnetic anisotropy. Changes in the spontaneous magnetization Iso and coercive force Hc, depending on the thickness of Co layers, are of oscillatory behavior, which is apparently because of the interference effects of electron waves in the spacers and interfaces. Stepped shape of the measured hysteresis loops for some MSLs, is apparently determined by the vortex behavior of the clusters magnetic moments, located in the sample plane, that is confirmed by measurements carried out on the scanning probe microscope. The observed high values of Iso, normalized to the content of Fe and Co, exceeding Iso(Fe)=1710 Gs may be observed due to increasing values of spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe and Co in the cluster formations and in the interfaces in the states of low‐dimensional local atomic environment, as well as the possible formation of ferromagnetic order in Mo clusters. Studies of resistance and magnetoresistance (MR) of the samples at temperatures from 10 K to 290 K show semiconducting behavior of resistance and a positive sign of the magnetoresistance. The maximum value of MR for a sample of [Mo (12A) Fe (16A) Co (21A)] x100 was 0.04% for [Mo (12A) Fe (10A) Co (21A)]x100 ‐ 0.5%. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)