Investigation of the Magnetic- and Electron Transport Properties of Fe/MgO Superlattices

Anti-ferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling between iron layers in Fe/MgO superlatices have recently been of interest among researchers for its potential application in 3D memory storage in computers (hard drives) and in the research field of spintronics. Thinfilms and bi-layers between the 10-100 ångström range in thicknesses were analyzed for its resistive properties during different conditions. Both mono-layers and superlatices were experimented with.The resistivity of the films was measured with both the four-probe method and the Van der Pauw method. Because of mechanical limitations with respect to the direction of the external magnetic field, the Van der Pauw method had to be used for the superlattice measurements. The collected data from all the measurments of the superlattice suggest that the electric current is not only passing the capping layer of the lattice but did not however show any sign of resisitive properties changing with changing magnetic profile. The resistivity of thesuperlattice was similar to that of the resistivity calculated from data when the external magnetic field was off. The results from this study show for the first time that it is possible to measure the electronic transport within an Fe/MgO superlattice which provides a basis for futher investigations.