Effective Resistance Mismatch and Magnetoresistance of a CPP-GMR System With Current-Confined-Paths

We theoretically study the magnetoresistance of a current -perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) system with current confined paths (CCP) in the framework of Valet-Fert theory. The continuity equations for charge and spin currents are numerically solved with the three-dimensional CCP geometry by use of finite element method. It is confirmed that the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio is enhanced by the CCP structure, which is consistent with the experimental results. Moreover, we find that there exists a certain contact width which maximize the MR ratio. We show that the contact width which maximize the MR ratio is well described by the effective resistance matching.