MAGNETIC CHARACTERISATION O

F GIANT MAGNETORESISTANCE
(GMR) EFFECTS

Shi Weiqi
109130439
Giant Magnetoresistance

 Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is a quantum

mechanical magnetoresistance effect observ
ed in thin film structures composed of alterna
ting ferromagnetic and non magnetic layers.
 The effect is observed as a significant change
in the electrical resistance depending on whet
her the magnetization of adjacent ferromagn
etic layers are in a parallel or an antiparallel ali
gnment.
Discovery

 Albert Fert Peter Grünberg

 GMR was first discovered in 1988, by Peter Grün

berg (Fe/Cr/Fe) and Albert Fert (Fe/Cr). Grünberg
and Fert have received a number of prizes and a
wards, including the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Multilayer GMR

 In multilayer GMR two or more ferromagnetic

layers are separated by a very thin (about 1 n
m) non-ferromagnetic spacer (e.g. Fe/Cr/Fe).
GMR and Spintronics
Applications

 Digital compass
Applications

 Hard disk drive manufacturers:

 A hard disk storing binary information can us

e the difference in resistance between parallel
and antiparallel layer alignments as a method
of storing 1s and 0s.
Applications
Applications
Applications
The 2007 Nobel Prize In Phys
ics - IPod Today; Tomorrow,
Who Knows?
Any questions?