Room Temperature CPP-Giant Magnetoresistance in Ni/Cu Multilayered Nanowires

Abstract Current-flow perpendicular to the layer planes giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) of Ni/Cu multilayered nanowires (NWs) grown by an alternating current (AC) pulsed electrodeposition technique into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template with a pore diameter of 50±5 nm is studied at room temperature. The method used for obtaining GMR percentage is the 2-probe resistance measurement of the contact of released and aligned NWs on a glass substrate in the presence of a magnetic field. The structure and thickness of layers are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), indicating the formation of well-ordered multilayers. The magnetic properties are studied by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and the first-order reversal curve (FORC) analysis. The maximum CPP-GMR of Ni/Cu multilayered NWs is obtained to be 2.6% for 17 and 2.7 nm thick Ni and Cu layers, respectively. The results show that Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) variation behavior of GMR values as a function of Cu spacer thickness is in accordance with theoretical models.