Effect of rare-earth-doping on the magnetoresistive properties of sputtered Co±Ag alloy thin ®lms

Rare-earth (RE) doped Co0.4Ag0.6 thin ®lms ( 40 nm) were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature by an rfmagnetron sputtering system. Co-sputtering was used to dope RE (Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb, Dy and Er) into the Ag region. The evolution of the magnetoresistance (MR) properties and the phase separation in this sputtered Co±Ag alloy system were investigated in relation to the annealing condition and the RE-doping. Experimental results showed that the doping of either Ce, Tb or Sm enhanced the MR response of the Co±Ag ®lms, while Nd depressed the response. #2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.