We present a study of conductance through disordered Fe-Cr[100] and Co-Cu[100] interfaces within a realistic tight-binding model. In our model, the specular and diffuse parts of the conductance are treated on an equal footing. We observe a substantial increase in conductance due to disorder in the channels that are strongly reflected by pure interfaces. We also show how this phenomenon affects the giant magnetoresistance. In addition, we find that the series resistor model may significantly overestimate the resistance if the thickness of the disordered layer is less than several times the electron mean free path.

• Received 8 August 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.69.024404