skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Fully epitaxial Fe/MgO/Fe(001) junctions with nonmagnetic metal layer insertion

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3555086· OSTI ID:21560130
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan)

Fully epitaxial Fe/Ag-wedge/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) were prepared by using a combination of magnetron sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy, and their magneto-transport properties were investigated for the Ag thickness range of 0-9 monolayer (ML). The large tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios of up to 160% at room temperature were obtained in the Fe/MgO/Fe region (Ag: 0 ML) after the optimization of the preparation conditions. The finite TMR ratio was observed until the Ag thickness reached 4 ML, although no significant oscillation due to quantum well states (QWS) was seen. This is the first demonstration of TMR in the fully epitaxial MTJs with nonmagnetic metal layer insertion which can potentially create spin-dependent QWS.

OSTI ID:
21560130
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 109, Issue 7; Conference: 55. annual conference on magnetism and magnetic materials, Atlanta, GA (United States), 14-18 Nov 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3555086; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English