Correlation between the Magnetoresistance, IR Magnetoreflectance, and Spin-Dependent Characteristics of Multilayer Magnetic Films

Abstract

We present the experimental results on magnetorefractive effect (MRE) in ferromagnetic metal-metal and metal-insulator multilayer films of different composition and different type of magnetoresistive effects. The shape and magnitude of the MRE dependences are found to be very sensitive to the spin-dependent scattering parameters and the effective polarization of the electron density of state around the Fermi level. A study of an MRE in multilayered films is shown to be sufficient for direct extracting of the spin-dependent relaxation times of electron (for GMR-like samples) and energy dependence of the tunnel spin-polarization density of states near the Fermi level for layered TMR films. It is proposed to use the magnetorefractive effect as a noncontact probe of magnetoresistive effects in thin magnetic films through investigations of the field-dependent reflection behaviors of multilayered films in the IR region.