Electrodeposited cobalt plus copper thin films on ITO substrata

Cobalt + copper thin films with variable composition were obtained over indium-tin oxide covered glass plates (ITO) by means of electrodeposition, from a citrate bath upon varying both the [Co(II)]/[Cu(II)] ratio in solution and the deposition conditions. The ITO/glass substrate is sufficiently conductive to allow electrodeposition. directly onto it, and also allows the measurement of the magnetoresistance without separating the films. The electrochemical and structural analyses indicated that a solid solution is formed in the electrodeposition conditions studied, although TEM analysis showed the random distribution of nanometric dense particles of cobalt distributed within the deposits. These particles were responsible for the magnetoresistance (MR) signal which was observed for all the Co + Cu films. The MR value increased when the cobalt percentage increased in the deposit. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.