Abstract
The effects of deposition rate on exchange coupling field Hex and coercive field Hc in NiO spin-valves are discussed. The Hex and Hc increased with deposition rate of NiO film. The rms roughnesses of the NiO deposited at 6 ${\AA}$/min (NiO-Low) and 30${\AA}$/min (NiO-High) were almost similar, however, the short-range roughness increased with the deposition rate. The Hex, Hc and surface morphologies for the modulated NiO spin-valve films such as NiO-Low\NiO-High\NiO-Low and NiO-High\NiO-Low were investigated.