Single Magnetic Electrode Research Articles

Giant Tunnel Magnetoresistance with a Single Magnetic Phase-Transition Electrode

Magnetic phase transition tunnel magnetoresistance (MPT-TMR) effect with a single magnetic electrode has been investigated by first-principles calculations. The calculations show that the MPT-TMR of FeRh/MgO/Cu tunnel junction can be as high as hundreds of percent when the magnetic structure of FeRh changes from G-type antiferromagnetic (GAFM) to ferromagnetic order. This new type of MPT-TMR may be superior to the tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance because of its huge magneto-resistance effect and similar structural simplicity. The main mechanism for the giant MPT-TMR can be attributed to the formation of interface resonant states at GAFM-FeRh/MgO interface. A direct FeRh/MgO interface is found to be necessary for achieving high MPT-TMR experimentally. Moreover, we find the FeRh/MgO interface with FeRh in ferromagnetic phase has nearly full spin-polarization due to the negligible majority transmission and significantly different Fermi surface of two spin channels. Thus, it may act as a highly efficient and tunable spin-injector. In addition, electric field driven MPT of FeRh-based hetero-magnetic nanostructures can be utilized to design various energy efficient tunnel junction structures and the corresponding lower power consumption devices. Our results will stimulate further experimental investigations of MPT-TMR and other fascinating phenomenon of FeRh-based tunnel junctions that may be promising in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Fe Nanoparticles Embedded in MgO Matrix

The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect is related to the relative orientation of the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic electrodes in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effect is related to the orientation of the magnetization with respect to the current direction or the crystallographic axes. Beyond the TMR, the TAMR is not only present in MTJs in which both electrodes are ferromagnetic but may also appear in tunnel structures with a single magnetic electrode. We investigated the magnetotransport properties in an Au/MgO/Fe nanoparticles/MgO/Cu tunnel junction. We found that both the TMR and TAMR can appear in tunnel junctions with Fe nanoparticles embedded in an MgO matrix. The TMR is attributed to spin-dependent tunneling between Fe nanoparticles, so the device resistance depends on the magnetization directions of adjacent Fe nanoparticles. The TAMR is attributed to the interfacial spin–orbit interaction, so the device resistance depends on each magnetization direction of an Fe nanoparticle. This is the first observation of the TAMR in Fe nanoparticles embedded in an MgO matrix.

Giant forward-scattering asymmetry and anomalous tunnel Hall effect at spin-orbit-split and exchange-split interfaces

We report on theoretical investigations of scattering asymmetry vs incidence of carriers through exchange barriers and magnetic tunnel junctions made of semiconductors involving spin-orbit interaction. By an analytical $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2$ spin model, we show that when Dresselhaus interaction is included in the conduction band of antiparallel magnetized electrodes, the electrons can undergo a large difference of transmission depending on the sign of their incident in-plane wave vector. In particular, the transmission is fully quenched at some points of the Brillouin zone for specific in-plane wave vectors and not for the opposite. Moreover, the asymmetry is universally scaled by a unique function independent of the spin-orbit strength. This particular feature is reproduced by a $14\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}14$ band $\mathbf{k}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{p}$ model showing, in addition, corresponding effects in the valence band and highlighting the robustness of the phenomenon, which even persists for a single magnetic electrode. Upon tunneling, electrons undergo an asymmetrical deflection which results in the occurrence of a transverse current, giving rise to a so-called tunnel Hall effect.

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance effect of single adatoms on a noncollinear magnetic surface

The tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effect demonstrates the sensitivity of spin-polarized electron transport to the orientation of the magnetization with respect to the crystallographic axes. As the TAMR effect requires only a single magnetic electrode, in contrast to the tunneling magnetoresistance effect, it offers an attractive route to alternative spintronic applications. In this work we consider the TAMR effect at the single-atom limit by investigating the anisotropy of the local density of states (LDOS) in the vacuum above transition-metal adatoms adsorbed on a noncollinear magnetic surface, the monolayer of Mn on W(1 1 0). This surface presents a cycloidal spin spiral ground state with an angle of 173° between neighboring spins and thus allows a quasi-continuous exploration of the angular dependence of the TAMR of adsorbed adatoms using scanning tunneling microscopy. Using first-principle calculations, we investigate the TAMR of Co, Rh and Ir adatoms on Mn/W(1 1 0) and relate our results to the magnetization-direction-dependent changes in the LDOS. The anisotropic effect is found to be enhanced dramatically on the adsorption of heavy transition-metal atoms, with values of up to 50% predicted from our calculations. This effect will be measurable even with a non-magnetic STM tip.

A spin-valve-like magnetoresistance of an antiferromagnet-based tunnel junction

A spin valve is a microelectronic device in which high- and low-resistance states are realized by using both the charge and spin of carriers. Spin-valve structures used in modern hard-drive read heads and magnetic random access memoriescomprise two ferromagnetic electrodes whose relative magnetization orientations can be switched between parallel and antiparallel configurations, yielding the desired giant or tunnelling magnetoresistance effect. Here we demonstrate more than 100% spin-valve-like signal in a NiFe/IrMn/MgO/Pt stack with an antiferromagnet on one side and a non-magnetic metal on the other side of the tunnel barrier. Ferromagneticmoments in NiFe are reversed by external fields of approximately 50 mT or less, and the exchange-spring effect of NiFe on IrMn induces rotation of antiferromagnetic moments in IrMn, which is detected by the measured tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance. Our work demonstrates a spintronic element whose transport characteristics are governed by an antiferromagnet. It demonstrates that sensitivity to low magnetic fields can be combined with large, spin-orbit-coupling-induced magnetotransport anisotropy using a single magnetic electrode. The antiferromagnetic tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance provides a means to study magnetic characteristics of antiferromagnetic films by an electronic-transport measurement.

Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance Driven by Resonant Surface States: First-Principles Calculations on an Fe(001) Surface

Fully relativistic first-principles calculations of the Fe(001) surface demonstrate that resonant surface (interface) states may produce sizable tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions with a single magnetic electrode. The effect is driven by the spin-orbit coupling. It shifts the resonant surface band via the Rashba effect when the magnetization direction changes. We find that spin-flip scattering at the interface is controlled not only by the strength of the spin-orbit coupling, but depends strongly on the intrinsic width of the resonant surface states.