title: Magnetization-orientation dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in the ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet system: CuNi/Nb/CuNi.
abstract: The superconducting critical temperature (T(c)) of ferromagnet-superconductor-ferromagnet systems has been predicted to exhibit a dependence on the magnetization orientation of the ferromagnetic layers such that T(AP)(c)>T(P)(c) for parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) configurations of the two ferromagnetic layers. We have grown CuNi/Nb/CuNi films via magnetron sputtering and confirmed the theoretical prediction by measuring the resistance of the system as a function of temperature and magnetic field. We find an approximately 25% resistance drop occurs near T(c) in Cu0.47Ni0.53(5 nm)/Nb(18)/CuNi(5) when the two CuNi layers change their magnetization directions from parallel to antiparallel, whereas there is no corresponding resistance change in the normal state.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: C-Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Ya B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Bazaliy
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bader