Modeling and experiment of transport properties of spin-valves with synthetic antiferromagnet

Both band structure calculations and experiments show that the giant-magnetoresistance (GMR) of a spin-valve with a synthetic-antiferromagnetic pinned layer is smaller than that with a single pinned layer. This smaller GMR is shown to come from the s-d scattering in the Ru layer and part of the pinned layer that has the opposite moment direction. Half of the synthetic-antiferromagnet does not contribute to the GMR and only shunts the current.