Interfacial electronic transport phenomena in single crystalline Fe-MgO-Fe thin barrier junctions

Journal Article · Mon May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4875386· OSTI ID:22269204

Duluard, A. ^[1]; Negulescu, B. ^[1]; Baraduc, C.; Gaudin, G. ^[2]

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1. Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198, CNRS-Université de Lorraine, BP 239, 54506 Vandoeuvre (France)
2. SPINTEC, UMR 8191 CEA/CNRS/UJF-Grenoble 1/Grenoble INP, INAC, 17 rue des Martyrs, F-38054 Grenoble Cedex (France)

Spin filtering effects in nano-pillars of Fe-MgO-Fe single crystalline magnetic tunnel junctions are explored with two different sample architectures and thin MgO barriers (thickness: 3–8 monolayers). The two architectures, with different growth and annealing conditions of the bottom electrode, allow tuning the quality of the bottom Fe/MgO interface. As a result, an interfacial resonance states (IRS) is observed or not depending on this interface quality. The IRS contribution, observed by spin polarized tunnel spectroscopy, is analyzed as a function of the MgO barrier thickness. Our experimental findings agree with theoretical predictions concerning the symmetry of the low energy (0.2 eV) interfacial resonance states: a mixture of Δ{sub 1}-like and Δ{sub 5}-like symmetries.

• OSTI ID: 22269204
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 18; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
IRON
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MONOCRYSTALS
SPIN ORIENTATION
SUPERCONDUCTING JUNCTIONS
TUNNEL EFFECT