Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) head technology is one of the latest advancements in the hard disk drive (HDD) storage industry. The GMR head multilayer structure consists of alternating layers of extremely thin metallic ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic films. A large decrease in the electrical resistivity from antiparallel to parallel alignment of the film magnetizations is observed, known as the GMR effect. The present work characterizes the in-plane electrical and thermal conductivities of Cu∕CoFe GMR multilayer structures in the temperature range of 50K to 340K using Joule-heating and electrical resistance thermometry on suspended bridges. The thermal conductivity of the GMR layer monotonically increases from 25Wm−1K−1 (at 55K⁠) to nearly 50Wm−1K−1 (at room temperature). We also report a GMR ratio of 17% and a large magnetothermal resistance effect (GMTR) of 25% in the Cu∕CoFe multilayer structure.

Issue Section:
Micro/Nanoscale Heat Transfer
Keywords:
copper, disc drives, hard discs, cobalt alloys, iron alloys, magnetic multilayers, ferromagnetic materials, metallic thin films, giant magnetoresistance, electrical resistivity, magnetisation, electrical conductivity, thermal magnetoresistance, magnetocaloric effects, GMR, heat transfer, measurement techniques, nanoscale, ultra-thin films
Topics:
Bridges (Structures), Disks, Electrical resistance, Electrical resistivity, Heat conduction, Heating, Magnetoresistance, Temperature, Thermal characterization, Thermal conductivity, Electrons, Joules, Magnetic fields, Heat, Copper, Temperature measurement, Electromagnetic scattering, Radiation scattering, Scattering (Physics), Dimensions, Magnetization
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