Sign reversal of spin polarization in magnetic tunnel junctions
- 22 August 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 64 (10), 100406
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.64.100406
Abstract
Utilizing ultrathin Ru interfacial layers in tunnel junctions, we demonstrate that not only does the tunnel magnetoresistance decrease strongly as the Ru thickness increases as found for Cu or Cr interlayers, in contrast, even the sign of the apparent tunneling spin polarization may be changed. Further, the magnitude and sign of the apparent polarization is strongly dependent on applied voltage. The results are explained by a strong density-of-states modification at the (interdiffused) Co/Ru interface, consistent with theoretical calculations and experiments on Co/Ru metallic multilayers and Co-Ru alloys.
Keywords
This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interfacial Density of States in Magnetic Tunnel JunctionsPhysical Review Letters, 2001
- Apparent Spin Polarization Decay in Cu-DustedTunnel JunctionsPhysical Review Letters, 2000
- Spin-polarized tunnelling, magnetoresistance and interfacial effects in ferromagnetic junctionsPhilosophical Magazine Part B, 2000
- Role of Metal-Oxide Interface in Determining the Spin Polarization of Magnetic Tunnel JunctionsScience, 1999
- Quantum Well States in Spin-Dependent Tunnel StructuresPhysical Review Letters, 1999
- Spin polarized tunneling in ferromagnetic junctionsJournal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 1999
- Dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance on ferromagnetic electrode thickness and on the thickness of a Cu layer inserted at the Al2O3/CoFe interfaceJournal of Applied Physics, 1999
- Inversion of Spin Polarization and Tunneling Magnetoresistance in Spin-Dependent Tunneling JunctionsPhysical Review Letters, 1999
- Large Magnetoresistance at Room Temperature in Ferromagnetic Thin Film Tunnel JunctionsPhysical Review Letters, 1995
- Spin-polarized electron tunnelingPhysics Reports, 1994