An extended Boltzmann formalism for transport description in thin Fe–Cr–Fe trilayers

We present the calculations of Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) for thin trilayers of the type nFe/3Cr/nFe where 1 ≤ n ≤ 8 for the slab geometry. All parameters used for the calculations in Boltzmann approach like the potentials, relaxation times, effective masses and the Fermi energy are determined for the different spin polarisations from electronic structure of trilayer on the base of ab initio method. The value of the parameter P corresponds to the specularity factor in Fuchs–Sondheimer theory. It is responsible for scattering electron from the metallic surface determined in analytical way. The results show a strong dependence of GMR on the ferromagnetic layer thickness as well as on the concentration of scattering centers. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)