Structural and Magnetic Properties of Fe/Cu/Fe Trilayers

In this work, Fe/Cu/Fe tri-layers with different thicknesses of Fe and Cu layers were prepared using the thermal evaporation method on a glass substrate. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) study indicates various peaks with 2 theta between 43 degrees and 45 degrees, which are related to Fe bcc and Cu fcc structures. Images of the sample surfaces recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show a uniform and continuous deposition of grains. Magnetic properties and hysteresis loops were measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The tri-layers magneto-resistance (MR) was obtained by the four-point method using the Van-Der-Pauw law. The result obtained indicates that with an increase in the Fe layer thickness, the tri-layers MR decreases. Also, an increase in the MR was observed with the increase in the Cu layer thickness. The law of approach to saturation was used to calculate the magnetic anisotropy and to obtain the effective magnetic anisotropy constant.