MR characteristics of Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19//Cu multilayers deposited by Kr sputtering with Ar ion bombardment on interfaces

Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19//Cu multilayers with giant magnetoresistive effect were deposited by the dual ion beam sputtering method. Only two monolayers at the interfaces in Ni/sub 81/Fe/sub 19//Cu multilayers deposited by Ar and/or Kr sputtering were exposed to Ar ion bombardment to change the interfacial conditions, such as sharp interface, local mixing and interfacial diffusion. The effect of ion bombardment to interfaces at restricted acceleration voltage of 160 V for the films by Ar sputtering and 140 V for the films by Kr sputtering and reduction of residual stress seems to be useful for obtaining preferable GMR characteristics, where clear interfaces and the best crystallinity seems to be attained in the multilayers.