Role of bimodal distribution in tailoring the inter-particle interactions in Cu79Co21 nanogranular films

Nanogranular Cu79Co21 films were deposited by magnetron co-sputtering and their magnetotransport properties were investigated as a function of thickness (t). The fitting of magnetoresistance (MR) data reveals the presence of bimodal distribution of Co-particles. With the increase of film thickness from 25 to 200 nm, whereas smaller particle (2.5 nm) distribution remains unaffected, the bigger one grows monotonically from 3.3 nm to 4.9 nm for 25 ≤ t < 100 nm and stays same (4.9 nm) for 100 ≤ t ≤ 200 nm. From MR data recorded in the range of 20–300 K, it is observed that dependence of MR on thickness keeps on reducing on lowering the temperature. This observance has been presented in terms of presence of bimodal distribution and its role in tailoring the inter-particle magnetic interactions