ABSTRACT
Two exciting scientific breakthroughs within the last two decades, and their exceptionally rapid implementation into products, demonstrate the impact of using the electron spin degree of freedom. In 1988, the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect
was
discovered in multilayer structures that contain layers of ferromagnetic metals separated by a thin spacer of normal metal. The resistance of such structures was found to depend greatly on the relative magnetic orientation of neighboring magnetic layers, making it attractive for application in highly sensitive magnetic field sensors.
