Magnetotransport properties of lithographically defined lateral Co/Ni80Fe20 wires

In this article we have investigated the magnetization reversal process of laterally defined coupled magnetic structures consisting of micron-sized sputtered Co and Ni80Fe20 wires lying side by side at temperatures ranging from 3 to 300 K. We have used a microfabrication technique to create an array of planar, laterally coupled magnetic wires made of two ferromagnetic materials. We observed two distinct peaks in the magnetoresistance (MR) curves corresponding to the magnetization reversals of Co and Ni80Fe20 wires. Below a critical temperature of 20 K we observed an asymmetric shift in the Ni80Fe20 peak position for both forward and reverse field sweeps due to the exchange coupling between the ferromagnetic (Ni80Fe20) and antiferromagnetic (Co-oxide at the interface of Co and Ni80Fe20 formed during fabrication) parts. The Co peaks gradually disappeared as the temperature was reduced. At low temperature we also observed that the Ni80Fe20 peaks in the MR loops are considerably shifted to larger fields corresponding to the increase in coercivity. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.