Longitudinal magnetic bistability of electroplated wires

Fe20Ni74Co6 and Fe20Ni64Co16 1 mum thick magnetic tubes electroplated onto Cu98Be2 conductive wire have been investigated in as-deposited state, after heat treatment under longitudinal magnetic field for 1 h at 330degreesC, and after rf-sputtering deposition of the additional 2 mum Fe19Ni81 layer. Heat treatments and an additional layer deposition modify the shape of hysteresis loops. Magnetically bistable behaviour, observed after the field annealing at a temperature of 330degreesC, is studied as a function of the length of the samples. This is the first report by our knowledge on the bistable behaviour of the electroplated wires. The bistability of these wires is promising for applications such as tagging or pulse generator applications. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.