Magnetoresistance and Hall-voltage measurements on single-crystal Ni and Ni-Fe thin films

Abstract

Measurements were taken at room temperature and at liquid-nitrogen temperature of the magneto-resistance of nickel and nickel-iron alloy thin films. The transverse magnetoresistance data, with current in a [110] direction, of Δρ/ρ0 vs θ, where θ is the angle between the plane of the film and the direction of the magnetic field, show marked anisotropies with large lobes at values of θ corresponding to the magnetic field perpendicular to a 〈111〉 direction of the crystal structure. Similar measurements performed on a polycrystalline film show quite an isotropic behavior. With the films at the low temperature (77°K) the graphical plot of Δρ/ρ0 shows the same general shape as that for the room-temperature data, except that for the nickel films Δρ/ρ0 is reduced in magnitude. No corresponding anisotropies were observed, however, in the Hall-voltage measurements which were taken at room temperature. The anisotropies observed in the magnetoresistance data for the nickel-iron alloy films were of the same general character as those observed for the nickel films. © 1964 The American Institute of Physics.