Giant magnetoresistance in CoFe/Cu multilayers with different buffer layers and substrates

The effect of crystallographic texture on GMR and magnetic properties of CoFe/Cu multilayers prepared by dc magnetron sputtering has been studied. To induce different film textures, buffer layers such as Fe, Cr, Ta, Cu and Al have been used. The effect of various substrates are also reported. Multilayers with Cu, Al, Ta and no buffer layer result in (111) film texture. Films with a Cr buffer show a mixture of (111) and (200) whereas an Fe buffer results in poorly textured/crystallized film. Films with (111) texture have the lowest saturation field. The GMR magnitude appears relatively insensitive to texture. Little change in the GMR characteristics is observed when the substrate is changed from glass to Si(100) or Si(111).