Strain-induced resistance changes in CoFe/Cu GMR multilayers

We study the elastoresistance of CoFe/Cu antiferromagnetically coupled giant magnetoresistive films. This refers to variations in resistivity due to strain-induced changes in magnetization. This type of phenomenon, observed on a multilayer, originates mainly from the inverse magnetostriction effect, taking place within the magnetic layers. Since these magnetizations are coupled, strain induces an overall effect on the film resistivity. Our measurements reveal that these effects lead to enhanced strain sensitivity in comparison to films made of the materials the materials that compose the multilayer.