EFFECTS OF Cu SPACER THICKNESS ON THE INTERLAYER EXCHANGE COUPLING AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF SPIN VALVES WITH PERPENDICULAR ANISOTROPY BASED ON [Co/Pd] MULTILAYERED THIN FILMS

Abstract

Spin-valve sandwiched structures (consisting of two ferromagnetic layers with a non-magnetic layer in between) play a significant role in many magnetic applications and modern spintronics technology. In this study, we focus on fabricating spin valve structures in which the ferromagnetic layers are [Co/Pd] multilayer films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and the separating layer is Cu with different thicknesses (t_Cu=0.6-6 nm). The effect of Cu layer thickness on magnetic properties in the developed spin valves are investigated in detail. The spin valves are fabricated using a magnetron sputtering system, structural characteristics are investigated by X-ray diffraction, and magnetic properties are investigated by a vibrating sample magnetometer system. The results show that the exchange interaction between ferromagnetic layers as well as the magnetic properties in spin valves clearly depends on the thickness of the Cu spacer. The research opens up the possibility of designing and optimizing perpendicular spin valves for next-generation spintronics devices.