Effect of capping layer on the spin accumulation and magnetoresistance of a current-perpendicular-to-plane spin valve

Abstract

The authors present a theoretical analysis of spin accumulation and magnetoresistance (MR) of a current-perpendicular-to-plane multilayer device with an additional nonmagnetic capping layer (NCL). They found that increased spin relaxation within the NCL may result in either an increase or a decrease of spin accumulation within the free ferromagnetic layer, depending on the fixed layer thickness. This raises the possibility of using spin relaxation in the NCL as a means of optimizing the current-induced magnetization switching effect. Additionally, the authors found that although the overall MR is decreased by the addition of the NCL, this decrease may be mitigated by strong spin relaxation within the capping layer.