| CONDENSED MATTER: ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL, MAGNETIC, AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES |
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Tunneling Barrier Thickness Dependence of Spin Polarization of Ferromagnet in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions |
| Yu-Qing Zhao1, Hai-Yan Zuo1, Shao-Wei Li1, Ke Xia2, Ming Wen3, Jun-Mei Guo3, Peng Xiong4, and Cong Ren1,5* |
1School of Physics and Astronomy, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
2Department of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 100193, China
3Kunming Institute of Precious Metals, Kunming 650019, China
4Physics Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
5Yunnan Key Laboratory of Eletromagnetic Materials and Devices, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
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Yu-Qing Zhao, Hai-Yan Zuo, Shao-Wei Li et al 2024 Chin. Phys. Lett. 41 117201 |
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Abstract For designing low-impedance magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), it has been found that tunneling magnetoresistance strongly correlates with the insulating barrier thickness, imposing a fundamental problem about the relationship between spin polarization of ferromagnet and the insulating barrier thickness in MTJs. Here, we investigate the influence of alumina barrier thickness on tunneling spin polarization (TSP) through a combination of theoretical calculations and experimental verification. Our simulating results reveal a significant impact of barrier thickness on TSP, exhibiting an oscillating decay of TSP with the barrier layer thinning. Experimental verification is realized on FeNi/AlO$_x$/Al superconducting tunnel junctions to directly probe the spin polarization of FeNi ferromagnet using Zeeman-split tunneling spectroscopy technique. These findings provide valuable insights for designs of high-performance spintronic devices, particularly in applications such as magnetic random access memories, where precise control over the insulating barrier layer is crucial.
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Received: 26 July 2024
Published: 11 November 2024
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