Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance Research Articles

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in a magnetic tunnel junction with half-metallic electrodes

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) is the difference in resistance of a magnetic tunnel junction due to a change in magnetization direction of one or both magnetic electrodes with respect to the flow of current. We present the results of first-principles density functional calculations of the TAMR effect in magnetic tunnel junctions with $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{0.7}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{0.3}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (LSMO) electrodes and a $\mathrm{SrTi}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (STO) tunneling barrier. We find an $\ensuremath{\sim}500%$ difference in resistance between magnetization in the plane and out of the plane. This large TAMR effect originates from the half-metallic nature of LSMO: When magnetization is out of plane spin-orbit coupling (SOC) contributions to the transmission come only from spin-flip scattering, which is intrinsically small due to the half-metallicity. For in-plane magnetization, however, there is a large non-spin-flip SOC contribution to the conductance. The large magnitude of the effect stems from the additional fact that there is an inherent polar discontinuity between LSMO and STO which leads to quasilocalized states at the interface whose influence on tunneling is strongly dependent on the magnetization orientation.

Tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance due to antiferromagnetic CoO tunnel barriers.

A new approach in spintronics is based on spin-polarized charge transport phenomena governed by antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach for AFM metals and semiconductors. We report tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) due to the rotation of antiferromagnetic moments of an insulating CoO layer, incorporated into a tunnel junction consisting of sapphire(substrate)/fcc-Co/CoO/AlOx/Al. The ferromagnetic Co layer is exchange coupled to the AFM CoO layer and drives rotation of the AFM moments in an external magnetic field. The results may help pave the way towards the development of spintronic devices based on AFM insulators.

Tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance in CoFeB|MgO|Ta junctions

We found that CoFeB|MgO|Ta tunnel junctions exhibit tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) at room temperature. The tunnel junctions exhibit positive magnetoresistance with the application of a magnetic field normal to the film plane. The dependencies on the applied magnetic field angle and MgO thickness reveal that the magnetoresistance originates from the TAMR, caused by the spin polarization and the spin-orbit interaction at the CoFeB|MgO interface. We also found that the TAMR can be used to detect ferromagnetic resonance in the CoFeB. This detection method could be useful for the characterization of nanomagnets that are free from the spin-transfer effect and the stray field of a reference layer, unlike conventional magnetic tunnel junctions.

In-plane tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs Esaki diodes in the regime of the excess current

We investigate the angular dependence of the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As/n-GaAs spin Esaki diodes in the regime where the tunneling process is dominated by the excess current through midgap states in (Ga,Mn)As. We compare it to similar measurements performed in the regime of band-to-band tunneling. Whereas the latter show biaxial symmetry typical for magnetic anisotropy observed in (Ga,Mn)As samples, the former is dominated by uniaxial anisotropy along the 〈110〉 axes.

Unidirectional Spin-Dependent Molecule-Ferromagnet Hybridized States Anisotropy in Cobalt Phthalocyanine Based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions.

Organic or molecular spintronics is a rising field of research at the frontier between condensed matter physics and chemistry. It aims to mix spin physics and the richness of chemistry towards designing new properties for spin electronics devices through engineering at the molecular scale. Beyond the expectation of a long spin lifetime, molecules can be also used to tailor the spin polarization of the injected current through the spin-dependent hybridization between molecules and ferromagnetic electrodes. In this Letter, we provide direct evidence of a hybrid interface spin polarization reversal due to the differing hybridization between phthalocyanine molecules and each cobalt electrode in Co/CoPc/Co magnetic tunnel junctions. Tunnel magnetoresistance and anisotropic tunnel magnetoresistance experiments show that interfacial hybridized electronic states have a unidirectional anisotropy that can be controlled by an electric field and that spin hybridization at the bottom and top interfaces differ, leading to an inverse tunnel magnetoresistance.

Giant single-molecule anisotropic magnetoresistance at room temperature.

We report an electrochemically assisted jump-to-contact scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) break junction approach to create reproducible and well-defined single-molecule spintronic junctions. The STM break junction is equipped with an external magnetic field either parallel or perpendicular to the electron transport direction. The conductance of Fe-terephthalic acid (TPA)-Fe single-molecule junctions is measured and a giant single-molecule tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (T-AMR) up to 53% is observed at room temperature. Theoretical calculations based on first-principles quantum simulations show that the observed AMR of Fe-TPA-Fe junctions originates from electronic coupling at the TPA-Fe interfaces modified by the magnetic orientation of the Fe electrodes with respect to the direction of current flow. The present study highlights new opportunities for obtaining detailed understanding of mechanisms of charge and spin transport in molecular junctions and the role of interfaces in determining the MR of single-molecule junctions.

Transport properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/LaAlO3/Pt tunnel junctions

Magnetotransport properties of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/LaAlO3/Pt tunnel junctions have been thoroughly analyzed, as a function of temperature and magnetic field, to test the suitability of LaAlO3 for insulating barriers and spin injection processes. The insulating behavior of LaAlO3 maintained down to 1–2 nm (corresponding to 4–5 unit cells) renders this material useful as tunnel barrier. The temperature dependence of the junction resistance, R(T), down to 200 K confirms direct tunneling as the dominant conduction channel. The barrier parameters of the junctions, φ0 and s, are estimated using Simmons' model in the intermediate voltage range. The energy of the barrier was estimated to be φ0 ∼ 0.4 eV at room temperature. The dependence of R(T) and φ0 on the magnetic field shows an anisotropic tunneling magnetoresistance of ∼4% at low T when changing the direction of the magnetization with respect to the current flow.

Evidence for asymmetric rotation of spins in antiferromagnetic exchange-spring

We demonstrate an asymmetric rotation of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spins in the exchange-spring driven by perpendicularly magnetized Co/Pt. The static and dynamic behaviors of the twisted spin structure are directly revealed by a combination of element specific soft-x-ray absorption spectra and magnetoresistance measurements. X-ray magnetic linear dichroism spectra as a function of AFM thickness clarify the features of the whole exchange-spring, while the interfacial uncompensated spins are identified by the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra. Moreover, the observed tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) in AFM-based junctions based on this asymmetric rotation provides an electrical approach to monitoring the dynamic twist of the AFM spins. These investigations not only provide a deep insight into the spin structure of the exchange coupling layers but would also advance the development of AFM spintronics.

Electrical detection of ferromagnetic resonance in ferromagnet/n-GaAs heterostructures by tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance

We observe a dc voltage peak at ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in samples consisting of a single ferromagnetic (FM) layer grown epitaxially on the n-GaAs (001) surface. The FMR peak is detected as an interfacial voltage with a symmetric line shape and is present in samples based on various FM/n-GaAs heterostructures, including Co2MnSi/n-GaAs, Co2FeSi/n-GaAs, and Fe/n-GaAs. We show that the interface bias voltage dependence of the FMR signal is identical to that of the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) over most of the bias range. Furthermore, we show how the precessing magnetization yields a dc FMR signal through the TAMR effect and how the TAMR phenomenon can be used to predict the angular dependence of the FMR signal. This TAMR-induced FMR peak can be observed under conditions where no spin accumulation is present and no spin-polarized current flows in the semiconductor.

Voltage-controlled oxide barriers in organic/hybrid spin valves based on tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance

A clear interaction between a resistive switching and a magnetoresistance effect is observed in organic semiconductor/ferromagnetic oxide hybrid spin-valve-like structures. The results resolve a longstanding question by clearly locating the origin of the resistive switching in these devices at the functional interface between the oxide electrode and the organic semiconductor. The switching is caused by the formation, motion, and removal of pairs of oxygen vacancies and interstitial oxygen ions at this interface. Also, a tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance is reported of up to 20%, which is six times higher than in the literature.

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.

ChemInform Abstract: Research Progress in Anisotropic Magnetoresistance

AbstractReview: 95 refs.

Anti‐Ferromagnet Controlled Tunneling Magnetoresistance

The requirement for high‐density memory integration advances the development of newly structured spintronic devices, which have reduced stray fields and are insensitive to magnetic field perturbations. This could be visualized in magnetic tunnel junctions incorporating anti‐ferromagnetic instead of ferromagnetic electrodes. Here, room‐temperature anti‐ferromangnet (AFM)‐controlled tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in a novel perpendicular junction is reported, where the IrMn AFM stays immediately at both sides of AlOx tunnel barrier as the functional layers. Bi‐stable resistance states governed by the relative arrangement of uncompensated anti‐ferromagnetic IrMn moments are obtained here, rather than the traditional spin‐valve signal observed in ferromagnet‐based tunnel junctions. The experimental observation of room‐temperature tunneling magnetoresistance controlled directly by AFM is practically significant and may pave the way for new‐generation memories based on AFM spintronics.

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance inC60-based organic spintronic systems

${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ fullerenes are interesting molecular semiconductors for spintronics since they exhibit weak spin-orbit and hyperfine interactions, which is a prerequisite for long spin lifetimes. We report spin-polarized transport in spin-valve-like structures containing ultrathin (10 nm) ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ layers, ferromagnetic (FM) epitaxial face-centered-cubic (fcc) Co (111) contacts, ${\mathrm{AlO}}_{x}$ tunnel barriers, and nonmagnetic Al counter electrodes. Even though genuine spin-valve behavior cannot occur for only one FM contact, we find significant tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) upon rotating the in-plane magnetization, originating from spin-orbit interaction (SOI) induced anisotropy of the fcc (111) Co bands. The uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the Co electrodes results in a predominantly twofold symmetric in-plane TAMR effect. We investigated the TAMR effect in the direct tunneling regime (2 nm ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$), at the transition point to two-step tunneling (4 nm ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$), and in the multistep regime (8 nm ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$). A sizable TAMR of 4.5% is found at 5 K under application of a 500-mT in-plane magnetic field for ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ layers of 2 nm, which is strongly suppressed at 8 nm thickness, indicating that TAMR may strongly contribute to the ``spin-valve'' signal for direct tunneling, but not for multistep tunneling. The TAMR effect is proposed to be due to a combination of SOI induced modulation of the tunneling DOS upon rotating the in-plane magnetization of the fcc epitaxial Co thin film, resonant tunneling processes involving interfacial states, and different Bychkov-Rashba SOI at the different interfaces.

Penetration depth and absorption mechanisms of spin currents in Ir20Mn80 and Fe50Mn50 polycrystalline films by ferromagnetic resonance and spin pumping

Spintronics relies on the spin dependent transport properties of ferromagnets (Fs). Although antiferromagnets (AFs) are used for their magnetic properties only, some fundamental F-spintronics phenomena like spin transfer torque, domain wall motion, and tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance also occur with AFs, thus making AF-spintronics attractive. Here, room temperature critical depths and absorption mechanisms of spin currents in Ir20Mn80 and Fe50Mn50 are determined by F-resonance and spin pumping. In particular, we find room temperature critical depths originating from different absorption mechanisms: dephasing for Ir20Mn80 and spin flipping for Fe50Mn50.

Revealing the properties of Mn2Au for antiferromagnetic spintronics

The continuous reduction in size of spintronic devices requires the development of structures, which are insensitive to parasitic external magnetic fields, while preserving the magnetoresistive signals of existing systems based on giant or tunnel magnetoresistance. This could be obtained in tunnel anisotropic magnetoresistance structures incorporating an antiferromagnetic, instead of a ferromagnetic, material. To turn this promising concept into real devices, new magnetic materials with large spin-orbit effects must be identified. Here we demonstrate that Mn2Au is not a Pauli paramagnet as hitherto believed but an antiferromagnet with Mn moments of ~4 μB. The particularly large strength of the exchange interactions leads to an extrapolated Néel temperature well above 1,000 K, so that ground-state magnetic properties are essentially preserved up to room temperature and above. Combined with the existence of a significant in-plane anisotropy, this makes Mn2Au the most promising material for antiferromagnetic spintronics identified so far.

Insensitivity of tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance to non-magnetic electrodes

Ferromagnetic electrodes play a crucial role in magnetoresistance effect and spin injection, whereas the essential features of non-magnetic metal electrodes in spintronics are commonly ignored except for their electrical conductivity. Here, we verify that the room-temperature tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) behavior in antiferromagnet-based [Pt/Co]/IrMn/AlOx/metal (metal = Pt, Au, Cu, Al) junctions is insensitive to the top metal electrodes. Similar out-of-plane signals are detected for different electrodes, in contrast to the varied shapes of in-plane TAMR curves which are most likely attributed to the differences in the multidomain structure of the magnetic electrode. This would add a different dimension to spintronics.

Vertical organic spin valves in perpendicular magnetic fields

We report the results of magnetoresistance measurements in vertical organic spin valves with the magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the layer stack. The magnetoresistance measurements were performed after carefully preparing either parallel or antiparallel in-plane magnetization states of the magnetic electrodes in order to observe traces of Hanle precession. Due to the low mobility in organic semiconductors, the transit time of spin-polarized carriers should allow for precession of the spins in perpendicular fields which in statistical average would quench the magnetoresistance. However, in none of the experiments do we observe any change in resistance while sweeping the perpendicular field, up to the point where the electrode's magnetization starts to reorient. This absence of Hanle-type effects indicates that the magnetoresistance is not based on the injection of spin-polarized electrons into the organic semiconductor but rather on tunneling through pinholes superimposed with tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance. These measurements suggest that even for clear spin-valve signatures, control experiments should be established which can confirm or disprove the electrical detection of injected spin-polarized carriers, similar to the Hanle precession in inorganic spin valves.

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in Co/AlOx/Al tunnel junctions with fcc Co (111) electrodes

Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) has been characterized in junctions comprised of face-centered cubic (fcc) Co (111) ferromagnetic electrodes grown epitaxially on sapphire substrates, amorphous AlOx tunnel barriers, and nonmagnetic Al counterelectrodes. Large TAMR ratios have been found, up to similar to 7.5% and similar to 11% (at 5 K), for the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetization geometry, respectively. Such large TAMR values were not expected a priori, given the weak anisotropy of the (bulk) Co bands due to spin-orbit interaction, and the absence of Co (111) surface states that cross the Fermi energy. Both the in-plane and out-of-plane TAMR effects exhibit a predominantly twofold symmetry, and a strong bias dependence. The in-plane TAMR shows a maximum along the (twofold) magnetic hard axis, suggesting a relation between magnetic anisotropy and TAMR. We propose that uniaxial strain in combination with Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit interaction, producing an interfacial tunneling DOS that depends on the magnetization direction, is responsible for the TAMR effect. The importance of the interfacial Co/AlOx (electronic) structure for the TAMR effect is underlined by measurements on junctions with overoxidized AlOx barriers, which show markedly different bias and angle dependence.

Tunable anisotropic magnetoelectric effect in helimagnetic tunnel junctions with interface Rashba spin-orbit interaction

We investigate theoretically the influence of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction at the helical-multiferroic/ferromagnetic-oxide interface on the tunnel magnetotransport across multiferroic heterojunctions (e.g., Pt/TbMnO3/SrRuO3). In addition to a residual topological effective spin-orbit coupling induced by the spiral spin ordering in the helimagnetic barrier, the spin-dependent interaction results in an oscillatory tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) with C2v symmetry. A large modulation of TAMR is realized by an external electric field due to the gate-controllable Rashba spin-orbit interaction and the magnetoelectric coupling, an effect of a potential for applications.