1State Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China 2Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 3School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom 4Center for Joining and Electronic Packaging, State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die & Mold Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China 5Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China 6School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China 7School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Abstract：A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is the core component in memory technologies, such as the magnetic random-access memory, magnetic sensors and programmable logic devices. In particular, MTJs based on two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures offer unprecedented opportunities for low power consumption and miniaturization of spintronic devices. However, their operation at room temperature remains a challenge. Here, we report a large tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of up to 85% at room temperature ($T = 300$ K) in vdW MTJs based on a thin ($ < 10$ nm) semiconductor spacer WSe$_{2}$ layer embedded between two Fe$_{3}$GaTe$_{2}$ electrodes with intrinsic above-room-temperature ferromagnetism. The TMR in the MTJ increases with decreasing temperature up to 164% at $T = 10$ K. The demonstration of TMR in ultra-thin MTJs at room temperature opens a realistic and promising route for next-generation spintronic applications beyond the current state of the art.
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2022, Vol. 39 
