Giant magnetoresistance in heterogeneous Cu-Co alloys

Abstract

We have observed giant magnetoresistance in heterogeneous thin film Cu-Co alloys consisting of ultrafine Co-rich precipitate particles in a Cu-rich matrix. The magnetoresistance scales inversely with the average particle diameter. This behavior is modeled by including spin-dependent scattering at the interfaces between the particles and the matrix, as well as the spin-dependent scattering in the Co-rich particles.