Exchange bias and negative magnetoresistance in [Co/Bi/Co]/IrMn thin films]

The artificial control of grain-boundary resistance and its contribution to magnetic and magneto-transport properties in [Co(3 nm)/Bi(2.5 nm)/Co(3 nm)]Ir20Mn80(12 nm) thin films that exhibit exchange bias is studied. Transverse magnetoresistance (MR) loops exhibit a negative MR in thin films grown by magnetron sputtering on Si/SiNx(100 nm) substrates. This negative MR effect is of the giant-MR (GMR) type, although its magnitude is less than 1%. A considerable exchange bias (EB) effect is observed only at lower temperatures, where both, GMR and isothermal magnetization loops exhibit a shift of -600 Oe at 5 K. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.