Comparison of magnetocurrent and transfer ratio in magnetic tunnel transistors with spin-valve bases containing Cu and Au spacer layers
- 3 February 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 82 (5), 775-777
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1541091
Abstract
The magnetocurrent of magnetic tunnel transistors with spin-valve base structures is found to be nearly insensitive to whether the spacer layer material in the spin valve is Cu or Au. By contrast, the in-plane magnetoresistance of the same spin valves differs by almost a factor of two. Furthermore, the transfer ratio of the transistor structure is an order of magnitude lower for Au compared to Cu spacer layers. We attribute these different behaviors to the significant role of spin-dependent interface scattering for electrons near the Fermi energy but to much weaker such scattering for hot electrons in the energy range considered (∼1–2 eV ).Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Room temperature operation of a high output current magnetic tunnel transistorApplied Physics Letters, 2002
- Hot-electron attenuation lengths in ultrathin magnetic filmsJournal of Applied Physics, 2000
- Dynamics of excited electrons in copper and ferromagnetic transition metals: Theory and experimentPhysical Review B, 2000
- Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy for Nonepitaxial Metal/Semiconductor InterfacesPhysical Review Letters, 1998
- Spin-dependent interface transmission and reflection in magnetic multilayers (invited)Journal of Applied Physics, 1996
- Measurement of hot-electron scattering processes at Au/Si(100) Schottky interfaces by temperature-dependent ballistic-electron-emission microscopyPhysical Review B, 1996
- Itinerant magnetism of disordered Fe-Co and Ni-Cu alloys in two and three dimensionsPhysical Review B, 1994
- Origin of enhanced magnetoresistance of magnetic multilayers: Spin-dependent scattering from magnetic interface statesPhysical Review Letters, 1993
- Oscillatory magnetic exchange coupling through thin copper layersPhysical Review Letters, 1991
- Electronic and magnetic structure of idealized metallic multilayers:Fe-FeMn systemPhysical Review B, 1984