A comparative study of the effect of ions of different atomic masses on the magnetoresistive properties of Co90Fe10/Cu superlattices

Abstract The effect of inert gas ions with different atomic masses (Ar + , Xe + ) on the magnetoresistance of Co 90 Fe 10 /Cu superlattices deposited on a silicon substrate has been investigated by comparison. The Ar + ion irradiation has been found to decrease the magnetoresistance more significantly than Xe + ion irradiation, which seems to be due to a larger average projective range for Ar + (R p = 5–6 nm) than that for Xe + (R p = 3.3–4.3 nm) and, accordingly, a greater depth of the atom mixing zone (∽(2–3)×R p ) when ions move from the top layers of the superlattice toward the substrate.