Xe/sup +/ Irradiation Increases Giant Magnetoresistance In Sputtered Fe/Cr Superlattices

We have studied the magnetoresistance of sputtered Fe/Cr superlattices as a function of 500 keV Xe+ irradiation in the fluence range of 1 × 1010 to 1 × 1015 Xe+/cm2. The results show that the giant magnetoresistance is enhanced for intermediate fluences and greatly suppressed for higher fluences. The suppression of the giant magnetoresistance is due to the destruction of the antiferromagnetic order, and the mechanism for the enhancement is under investigation.