Abstract
Fe-Co-Ni/Cu multilayers and Fe-Co-Ni thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. The dependence of the GMR of the multilayers and that of the AMR of the magnetic thin films on the composition of magnetic alloys were investigated at room temperature and 4.2 K. The composition dependence of the GMR was calculated by using a simple model that took account of both the spin-dependent interface and bulk scattering. The calculated results agreed well with those obtained in the experiment. The ratio of the interface scattering to the sum of the interface scattering and bulk scattering was calculated for up-spin and down-spin electrons. The ratio for the down-spin electrons was more than 0.8 in Co/ Cu multilayer and less than 0.4 in Fe20Ni80/Cu multilayer. The ratio for the up-spin electrons was 0.4-0.5, which was almost constant in all the composition examined.
