Simultaneous STXM imaging and resistance measurements of trilayer vortices

We investigate a trilayer vortex system by simultaneous scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and in-situ giant magnetoresistance (GMR) measurements. Our aim is to correlate the magnetic configuration of both magnetic layers with the corresponding magneto-resistance effects.
The sample is a Co/Cu/Ni80Fe20 cylindrical trilayer, with 2 µm diameter [1]. Top and bottom contacts allow to apply a perpendicular DC current to measure the resistance. Simultaneously the magnetic configuration of each element of the disc is imaged using STXM. This is performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The vortex core formation in both magnetic layers and the position of the vortex core can be controlled by applying an in-plane external magnetic field. When the cores are at the edge, and the magnetization state resembles that of two in-plane magnetized disks, the GMR is low, as both cores move towards the center. With decreasing field the resistance increases, as the cores move beyond the center and towards the opposite side, the resistance decreases again. We investigate the resistance at different DC currents in dependency on the swept magnetic fields.
REFERENCES
[1] S. Wintz, Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 232511 (2011)