Giant magnetoresistance in electrodeposited films

Electrodeposition is one of the simpler and cheaper processes available for the fabrication of thin metal films. Recent developments have made it possible to electrodeposit a wide range of nanostructured materials, including many that exhibit giant magnetoresistance (GMR). We review progress in the growth and characterization of such films, starting with electrodeposited ferromagnetic metal/non-magnetic metal superlattices in which the individual layers can be as thin as 10 /spl Aring/ or less and for which several workers have reported significant GMR at room temperature. Next we describe a method which can be used to produce superlattices having a thickness of several /spl mu/m and an area of less than 1 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. These "superlattice nanowires" are ideal for measurements of GMR in the current perpendicular to plane (CPP) geometry and are an example of a structure which at present can only be produced by electrodeposition. Finally, we consider the electrodeposition of heterogeneous alloy films showing GMR.