Effect of Interface Structure on Transport Properties of Metallic Multilayers

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9314018 Baxter This project will study the effects of interfacial structure on electron transport in a variety of metallic multilayers. Multilayered materials with varying degrees of interfacial order will be prepared using both UHV electron beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering. The effect of structural changes on interface sensitive transport properties such as the anisotropy of the electron diffusion constant in non-magnetic multilayers and the Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in magnetic systems will be studied. Controlled changes in the structure of the interface will be made by combining thermal annealing with in- situ X-ray diffraction studies, and such changes will be correlated with associated changes in the transport properties. This project involves a collaboration between researchers at Indiana University and the General Motors Research and Development Center. %%% The behavior of electrons at interfaces between two different materials plays an important role in technologies such as integrated circuits, magnetic recording, and sensors. Modern technology makes possible the production of thin films in which the atomic composition alternates periodically few atomic layers, thereby providing an ideal laboratory for studying the electronic properties of interfaces. The large concentration of interfaces in such "multilayered materials" can cause their properties to be quite different from those of the corresponding bulk materials. An example of this can be seen in the recently discovered Giant Magnetoresistance effect which holds great promise for the development of new magnetic sensor materials. Future development of such materials will require detailed understanding of how their electronic properties depend on the atomic structure of the interfaces between the individual layers. This project, which combines research at Indiana University and the General Motors Research and Development Center, is dedicated to the study of this fundamental an d technologically important question. ***