Magnetoresistance effects in current-perpendicular-to-plane structures based on Fe₃Si/FeSi₂ artificial lattices

From Fe₃Si/FeSi₂ artificial lattices, wherein Fe₃Si layers are partially epitaxially grown from the first layer on Si(111) up to the top layer across the FeSi₂ layers with the same orientation relationship as that in the first layer, current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) structures that partially contain current-in-to-plane (CIP) structural portions were fabricated by a mask method. It was confirmed that the antiparallel alignment of magnetization at a zero magnetic field due to antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling is changed to parallel alignment with the applied magnetic field by polarized neutron reflectometry. The MR ratio was comparable to that of CIP structural films. It might be because a current should predominantly flow in the CIP portion since the CIP structural portion is dimensionally so large as compared with that of the CPP portion. (