Thermal stability of a Co/Cu giant magnetoresistance (GMR) multilayer system.

Critical limitations exist regarding the thermal stability of multilayer giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensors due to significant contribution of layer interfaces and grain boundaries to their performance. This paper addresses the stability of, and thermal reaction in Co/Cu magnetoresistive systems. Thin film multilayers were deposited by ion beam sputtering on top of preformed tungsten tips. The multilayers were then analyzed by a wide-angle tomographic atom probe (WATAP) in the as-prepared state and after heat treatments in the temperature range from 150 to 550 degrees C. As revealed by the WATAP analysis, Co breakthroughs along grain boundaries in the Cu spacers appear at 450 degrees C. This morphological change leads to a deterioration of the GMR effect due to the magnetostatic ferromagnetic coupling between Co layers. Furthermore, a strong effect of Cu layers faceting is observed after annealing in the same temperature range, which may lead to the deterioration of the layered structure on high-angle grain boundaries.