Magnetoresistance is technologically important for magnetic sensors and data storage, but importantly also provides insight into the fundamental processes of conduction and spintronic physics. For ferromagnetic thin-films and multilayers, the interface can control or influence the magnetic and conduction properties in a variety of ways. Methods to interrogate the interfacial contribution to the observed behavior of such systems can therefore open new insights on the physical processes involved.

Anisotropic Magnetoresistance, AMR, can be a highly informative tool that describes the dependence of the resistivity on the angle between the current flow and applied magnetic field. In most cases the magnetization changes studies are all within the film plane. The key feature of the current research with the off-line facility at XMaS is the opportunity to study the angular dependence of the magnetoresistance when also pulling the magnetization out of the film plane – this requires high fields and angular rotation, and down to low temperatures, all of which are available with the XMaS system.

Such an approach allows us to study effective role of the interface layer and the magnetic anisotropy orientation in ferromagnetic (FM) and heavy metal (HM) bi-layer thin films. Good results have been obtained thus far and form the basis for further analysis and complementary measurements, such as low field AMR and x-ray structural analysis.

For further information please contact Prof. D. Atkinson, Durham Univeristy.

Example of magnetoresistance measurements as a function of magnetic field angle from in-plane to out-of-plane, at selected magnetic fields up to 2.4 T.