Study of magnetic anisotropy and magnetoresistance effects in ferromagnetic Co/Au multilayer films prepared by oblique incidence evaporation method

Abstract A series of e-beam evaporated [Co10 A/Au t A] 20 multilayers has been deposited on 1.69 mm 2 glass substrates. The samples were examined with vibrating sample magnetometer, low angle X-ray diffraction, and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements. The effects of oblique incidence evaporation and magnetic annealing on the anisotropy, microstructure, and different components of MR are examined. After magnetic annealing, the multilayer [Co10 A/Au20 A] 20 produced at the incidence angle of 45° showed a strong anisotropy and the easy axis of the anisotropy is along the perpendicular ( x -axis; along the film plane) to the incidence of evaporation. MR at room temperature has two components: isotropic and anisotropic. The magnetoresistance effects are found to be larger in the uniaxial films, with both anisotropic and giant magnetoresistance peaking at around 20 A Au layer thickness.