Based on the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) technique and the Landauer-Büttiker theory, the possibility of a molecular spin-electronic device, which consists of a single C$_{60}$ molecule attached to two ferromagnetic electrodes with finite cross sections, is investigated. By studying the coherent spin-dependent transport through the energy levels of the molecule, it is shown that the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of the molecular junction depends on the applied voltages and the number of contact points between the device electrodes and the molecule. The TMR values more than 60% are obtained by adjusting the related parameters.
We study spin and charge diffusion in metallic-ferromagnet/topological-insulator junctions. The coupled diffusion equations are derived perturbatively with respect to the strength of the interlayer tunneling. We calculate spin accumulation in the ferromagnet and junction magnetoresistance associated with a current bias along the interface.
We show that an electrostatically created n-p junction separating the electron and hole gas regions in a graphene monolayer transmits only those quasiparticles that approach it almost perpendicularly to the n-p interface. Such a selective transmission of carriers by a single n-p junction would manifest itself in non-local magnetoresistance effect in arrays of such junctions and determines the unusual Fano factor in the current noise universal for the n-p junctions in graphene.
We theoretically investigate the angular and spin dependent transport in normal-metal/helical-multiferroic/ferromagnetic heterojunctions. We find a tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effect due to the spiral magnetic order in the tunnel junction and to an effective spin-orbit coupling induced by the topology of the localized magnetic moments in the multiferroic spacer. The predicted TAMR effect is efficiently controllable by an external electric field due to the magnetoelectric coupling.
We present calculations of spin-dependent electron transport through single organic molecules bridging pairs of iron nanocontacts. We predict the magnetoresistance of these systems to switch from positive to negative with increasing applied bias for both conducting and insulating molecules. This novel inverse magnetoresistance phenomenon is robust, does not depend on the presence of impurities, and is unique to molecular and atomic nanoscale magnetic junctions. Its physical origin is identified and its relevance to experiment and to potential technological applications is discussed.
Ferromagnetic spin-valves and tunneling junctions are crucial for spintronics applications and are one of the most fundamental spintronics devices. Motivated by the potential unique advantages of antiferromagnets for spintronics, we theoretically study here junctions built out of non-collinear antiferromagnets. We demonstrate a large and robust magnetoresistance and spin-transfer torque capable of ultrafast switching between parallel and anti-parallel states of the junction. In addition, we show that the non-collinear order results in a spin-transfer torque that is in several key aspects diffe…
We demonstrate giant magnetoresistance in Fe/MoS$_2$/Fe junctions by means of \textit{ab-initio} transport calculations. We show that junctions incorporating either a mono- or a bi-layer of MoS$_2$ are metallic and that Fe acts as an efficient spin injector into MoS$_2$ with an efficiency of about 45\%. This is the result of the strong coupling between the Fe and S atoms at the interface. For junctions of greater thickness a maximum magnetoresistance of $\sim$300\% is obtained, which remains robust with the applied bias as long as transport is in the tunneling limit. A general recipe for impro…
We measure the low-temperature resistance of permalloy break junctions as a function of contact size and the magnetic field angle, in applied fields large enough to saturate the magnetization. For both nanometer-scale metallic contacts and tunneling devices we observe large changes in resistance with angle, as large as 25% in the tunneling regime. The pattern of magnetoresistance is sensitive to changes in bias on a scale of a few mV. We interpret the effect as a consequence of conductance fluctuations due to quantum interference.
The effects of the spin-orbit interaction on the tunneling magnetoresistance of magnetic tunnel junctions are investigated. A model in which the experimentally observed two-fold symmetry of the anisotropic tunneling magnetoresistance (TAMR) originates from the interference between Dresselhaus and Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit couplings is formulated. Bias induced changes of the Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit coupling strength can result in an inversion of the TAMR. The theoretical calculations are in good agreement with the TAMR experimentally observed in epitaxial Fe/GaAs/Au tunnel junctions.
We reveal the giant magnetoresistance induced by the spin-polarized current in the ferromagnet (F_1)/topological insulator (TI)/ferromagnet (F_2) junction, where two ferromagnets are deposited on the diffusive surface of the TI. We can increase and reduce the value of the giant magnetoresistance by tuning the spin-polarized current, which is controlled by the magnetization configurations. The property is intuitively understood by the non-equilibrium spin-polarized current, which plays the role of an effective electrochemical potential on the surface of the TI.
We report on the observation of magnetoresistance oscillations in graphene p-n junctions. The oscillations have been observed for six samples, consisting of single-layer and bilayer graphene, and persist up to temperatures of 30 K, where standard Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations are no longer discernible. The oscillatory magnetoresistance can be reproduced by tight-binding simulations. We attribute this phenomenon to the modulated densities of states in the n- and p- regions.
In this contribution, we calculate the spin-dependent ballistic and coherent transport through epitaxial Fe/ZnSe (001) simple and double magnetic tunnel junctions with two different interface terminations: Zn-terminated and Se-terminated. The electronic structure of the junctions is modeled by a second-nearest neighbors {\it spd} tight-binding Hamiltonian parametrized to {\it ab initio} calculated band structures, while the conductances and the tunneling magnetoresistance are calculated within Landauer's formalism. The calculations are done at zero bias voltage and as a function of energy. We …
We introduce a new class of spintronics devices in which a spin-valve like effect results from strong spin-orbit coupling in a single ferromagnetic layer rather than from injection and detection of a spin-polarized current by two coupled ferromagnets. The effect is observed in a normal-metal/insulator/ferromagnetic-semiconductor tunneling device. This behavior is caused by the interplay of the anisotropic density of states in (Ga,Mn)As with respect to the magnetization direction, and the two-step magnetization reversal process in this material.
We theoretically investigate magnetoresistance (MR) effects in connection with spin filtering in quantum-coherent transport through tunnel junctions based on non-magnetic/semimagnetic heterostructures. We find that spin filtering in conjunction with the suppression/enhancement of the spin-dependent Fermi seas in semimagnetic contacts gives rise to (i) spin-split kinks in the MR of single barriers and (ii) a robust beating pattern in the MR of double barriers with a semimagnetic well. We believe these are unique signatures for quantum filtering.
We demonstrate possible scenarios for production of pure spin current and large tunnelling magnetoresistance ratios from elastic co-tunnelling and crossed Andreev reflection across a superconducting junction comprising of normal metal-superconductor-normal metal, where, the normal metal is a one-dimensional interacting quantum wire. We show that there are fixed points in the theory which correspond to the case of pure spin current. We analyze the influence of electron-electron interaction and see how it stabilizes or de-stabilizes the production of pure spin current. These fixed points can be …
We study transport through a ferromagnetic single-electron transistor. The resistance is represented as a path integral, so that systems where the tunnel resistances are smaller than the quantum resistance can be investigated. Beyond the low order sequential tunneling and co-tunneling regimes, a large magnetoresistance ratio at sufficiently low temperatures is found. In the opposite limit, when the thermal energy is larger than the charging energy, the magnetoresistance ratio is only slightly enhanced.
We theoretically investigate quantum transport through single-molecule magnet (SMM) junctions with ferromagnetic and normal-metal leads in the sequential regime. The current obtained by means of the rate-equation gives rise to the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR), which varies with the angle between the magnetization direction of ferromagnetic lead and the easy axis of SMM. The angular dependence of TAMR can serve as a probe to determine experimentally the easy axis of SMM. Moreover, it is demonstrated that both the magnitude and sign of TAMR are tunable by the bias voltage, sugg…
We report experiments on epitaxially grown Fe/GaAs/Au tunnel junctions demonstrating that the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effect can be controlled by a magnetic field. Theoretical modelling shows that the interplay of the orbital effects of a magnetic field and the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling in the GaAs barrier leads to an independent contribution to the TAMR effect with uniaxial symmetry, whereas the Bychkov-Rashba spin-orbit coupling does not play a role. The effect is intrinsic to barriers with bulk inversion asymmetry.
We experimentally investigate the structural, magnetic and electrical transport properties of La$_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_{3}$ based magnetic tunnel junctions with a SrSnO$_3$ barrier. Our results show that despite the large number of defects in the strontium stannate barrier, due to the large lattice mismatch, the observed tunnel magnetoresistance is comparable to tunnel junctions with a better lattice matched STiO$_3$ barrier, reaching values of up to 350% at T=5 K. Further analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of the junction and the bias voltage dependence of the observed tunnel m…
We report on the fabrication and characterization of vertical spin-valve structures using a thick epitaxial MgO barrier as spacer layer and a graphene-passivated Ni film as bottom ferromagnetic electrode. The devices show robust and scalable tunnel magnetoresistance, with several changes of sign upon varying the applied bias voltage. These findings are explained by a model of phonon-assisted transport mechanisms that relies on the peculiarity of the band structure and spin density of states at the hybrid graphene|Ni interface.
We report measurements of the electron transport through atomic-scale constrictions and tunnel junctions between ferromagnetic electrodes. Structures are fabricated using a combination of e-beam lithography and controlled electromigration. Sample geometries are chosen to allow independent control of electrode bulk magnetizations. As junction size is decreased to the single channel limit, conventional anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) increases in magnitude, approaching the size expected for tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) upon tunnel junction formation. Significant mesoscopic variations ar…
Using the tight-binding approximation and the nonequilibrium Green's function approach, we investigate the coherent spin-dependent transport in planar magnetic junctions consisting of two ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes separated by a graphene flake (GF) with zigzag or armchair interfaces. It is found that the electron conduction strongly depends on the geometry of contact between the GF and the FM electrodes. In the case of zigzag interfaces, the junction demonstrates a spin-valve effect with high magnetoresistance (MR) ratios and shows negative differential resistance features for a single spi…
We study the relation between tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and interfacial electronic states modified by magnetic impurities introduced at the interface of the ferromagnetic tunnel junctions, by making use of the periodic Anderson model and the linear response theory. It is indicated that the TMR ratio is strongly reduced depending on the position of the $d$-levels of impurities, based on reduction in the spin-dependent $s$-electron tunneling in the majority spin state. The results are compared with experimental results for Cr-dusted ferromagnetic tunnel junctions, and also with results for …
The tunnel current and magnetoresistance (TMR) are investigated in magnetic tunnel junctions consisting of a spin-filter tunnel barrier, sandwiched between a ferromagnetic (FM) electrode and a nonmagnetic (NM) electrode. The investigations are based on the transfer matrix method and the free-electron approximation. The numerical results show that the spin transport depends on the relative magnetization orientation of the FM electrode and the spin-filter barrier, such that the tunnel current reaches its maximum when the magnetic moments of the FM electrode and the magnetic barrier are parallel.…
We calculate the conductances and the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of double magnetic tunnel junctions, taking as a model example junctions composed of Fe/ZnSe/Fe/ZnSe/Fe (001). The calculations are done as a function of the gate voltage applied to the in-between Fe layer slab. We find that the application of a gate voltage to the in-between Fe slab strongly affects the junctions' TMR due to the tuning or untuning of conductance resonances mediated by quantum well states. The gate voltage allows a significant enhancement of the TMR, in a more controllable way than by changing the thicknes…
We investigate the tunneling magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) comprised of Weyl semimetal contacts. We show that chirality-magnetization locking leads to a gigantic tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, an effect that does not rely on spin filtering by the tunnel barrier. Our results indicate that the conductance in the anti-parallel configuration is more sensitive to magnetization fluctuations than in MTJs with normal ferromagnets, and predicts a TMR as large as 10^4 % when realistic magnetization fluctuations are accounted for. In addition, we show that the Fermi arc states…
The dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance and spin-transfer torque in FeCo/MgO/FeCo tunnel junctions on the Co concentration and the bias voltage are investigated ab initio. We find that the tunneling magnetoresistance decreases with the Co concentration in contradiction with previous calculations but in agreement with recent experiments. This dependence is explained from bulk properties of the alloys. By using a realistic description of the disorder in the alloys we can show that even small amounts of disorder lead to a drastic drop in the tunneling magnetoresistance. This provides a quan…
Using a simple quantum-mechanical model, we explore a tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) effect in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) with a ferromagnetic electrode and a ferroelectric barrier layer, which spontaneous polarization gives rise to the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC). For realistic parameters of the model, we predict sizable TAMR measurable experimentally. For asymmetric FTJs, which electrodes have different work functions, the built-in electric field affects the SOC parameters and leads to TAMR dependent on ferroelectric polarization direction. The…
We calculate the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of Fe$\mid$ZnSe$\mid$Fe$\mid$ZnSe$\mid$Fe (001) double magnetic tunnel junctions as a function of the in-between Fe layer's thickness, and compare these results with those of Fe$\mid$ZnSe$\mid$Fe simple junctions. The electronic band structures are modeled by a parametrized tight-binding Hamiltonian fitted to {\it ab initio} calculations, and the conductance is calculated within the Landauer formalism expressed in terms of Green's functions. We find that the conductances for each spin channel and the TMR strongly depend on the in-between Fe la…
Large magnetoresistance effect controlled by electric field rather than magnetic field or electric current is a preferable routine for designing low power consumption magnetoresistance-based spintronic devices. Here we propose an electric-field controlled antiferromagnetic (AFM) tunnel junction with structure of piezoelectric substrate/Mn3Pt/SrTiO3/Pt operating by the magnetic phase transition (MPT) of antiferromagnet Mn3Pt through its magneto-volume effect. The transport properties of the proposed AFM tunnel junction have been investigated by employing first-principles calculations. Our resul…
We show that a surface acoustic wave (SAW) applied across the terminals of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) decreases both the (time-averaged) parallel and antiparallel resistances of the MTJ, with the latter decreasing much more than the former. This results in a decrease of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio. The coercivities of the free and fixed layer of the MTJ, however, are not affected significantly, suggesting that the SAW does not cause large-angle magnetization rotation in the magnetic layers through the inverse magnetostriction (Villari) effect at the power levels used. Thi…
We have studied the influence of the transverse size of a magnetic tunnel nanojunction on the magnitude of the magnetoresistance. During modeling, the size of the right contact was fixed, while the size of the left one gradually changed until they coincided. We found a sharp drop in the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in nanocontacts with mismatched cross section. This can be explained by the peculiarities of the spatial distribution of the electron density, which is different for majority and minority-spin states. The discovered effect must be taken into account in the design of TMR-based n…
We study electronic transport through quantum dots weakly coupled to ferromagnetic leads with collinear magnetization directions. Tunneling contributions of first and second order in the tunnel-coupling strength are taken into account. We analyze the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) for all combinations of linear and nonlinear response, at or off resonance, with an even or odd dot-electron number. Different mechanisms for transport and spin accumulation the various regimes give rise to different TMR behavior.
We investigated the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) in thick hcp Co films at cryogenic temperatures using scanning tunneling microscopy. At around -350 mV, a strong TAMR up to 30\% is found with a characteristic voltage dependence and a reversal of sign. With the help of \textit{ab initio} calculations the TAMR can be traced back to a spin-polarized occupied surface states that experience a strong spin-orbit interaction leading to a magnetization direction depending hybridization with bulk states.
We report on the importance of resonant-tunneling processes on quantum transport through interacting quantum-dot spin valves. To include Coulomb interaction in the calculation of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), we reformulate and generalize the recently-developed, numerically-exact method of iterative summation of path integrals (ISPI) to account for spin-dependent tunneling. The ISPI scheme allows us to investigate weak to intermediate Coulomb interaction in a wide range of gate and bias voltage and down to temperatures at which a perturbative treatment of tunneling severely fails.
Using the Landauer-Bütikker formalism, we study the graphene magneto-transport in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit interaction (RSOI). We show that the angle resolved transmission probability in the proposed structures can be tuned by the RSOI strength. The transmission spectrum show Klein tunneling in the parallel (P) magnetization configuration which can be blocked by the RSOI. This effect is also observable for the anti-parallel (AP) magnetization configuration in different incident angle. The numerical results shows that the spin-polarized conductance strongly depends on the strength of t…
Temperature dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) was calculated in range of the quantum-ballistic model in the magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with embedded nanoparticles (NPs). The electron tunnel transport through NP was simulated in range of double barrier approach, which was integrated into the model of the magnetic point-like contact. The resonant TMR conditions and temperature impact were explored in detail. Moreover, the possible reasons of the temperature induced resonant conditions were discussed in the range of the lead-tunneling cell-lead model near Kondo temperature. W…
The effect of resonant tunneling on magnetoresistance (MR) is studied theoretically in a double junction system. We have found that the ratio of the MR of the resonant peak current is reduced more than that of the single junction, whereas that of the valley current is enhanced depending on the change of the discrete energy-level under the change of magnetic field. We also found that the peak current-valley current (PV) ratio decreases when the junction conductance increases.
We investigate magnetoresistance in spin valves involving CoPd-contacted carbon nanotubes. Both temperature and bias voltage dependence clearly indicate tunneling magnetoresistance as the origin. We show that this effect is significantly affected by the tunnel barrier strength, which appears to be one reason for the variation between devices previously detected in similar structures. Modeling the data by means of the scattering matrix approach, we find a non-trivial dependence of the magnetoresistance on the barrier strength. Furthermore, analysis of the spin precession observed in a nonlocal …
We present a formalism that simultaneously incorporates the effect of quantum tunneling and spin diffusion on spin Hall magnetoresistance observed in normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator bilayers (such as Pt/YIG) and normal metal/ferromagnetic metal bilayers (such as Pt/Co), in which the angle of magnetization influences the magnetoresistance of the normal metal. In the normal metal side the spin diffusion is known to affect the landscape of the spin accumulation caused by spin Hall effect and subsequently the magnetoresistance, while on the ferromagnet side the quantum tunneling effect is det…
Processes which flip the spin of an electron tunneling in a junction made up of magnetic electrodes are studied. It is found that: i) Magnetic impurities give a contribution which increases the resistance and lowers the magnetoresistance, which saturates at low temperatures. The conductance increases at high fields. ii) Magnon assisted tunneling reduces the magnetoresistance as $T^{3/2}$, and leads to a non ohmic contribution to the resistance which goes as $V^{3/2}$, iii) Surface antiferromagnetic magnons, which may appear if the interface has different magnetic properties from the bulk, give…
Spin-dependent electronic transport in magnetic double-island devices is considered theoretically in the sequential tunneling regime. Electric current and tunnel magnetoresistance are analyzed as a function of the bias voltage and spin relaxation time in the islands. It is shown that the interplay of spin accumulation on the islands and charging effects leads to periodic modification of the differential conductance and tunnel magnetoresistance. For a sufficiently long spin relaxation time, the modulations are associated with periodic oscillations of the sign of both the tunnel magnetoresistanc…
We study spin-dependent transport through ferromagnet/normal-metal/ferromagnet double tunnel junctions in the mesoscopic Coulomb blockade regime. A general transport equation allows us to calculate the conductance in the absence or presence of spin-orbit interaction and for arbitrary orientation of the lead magnetizations. The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), defined at the Coulomb blockade conductance peaks, is calculated and its probability distribution presented. We show that mesoscopic fluctuations can lead to the optimal value of the TMR.
The influence of ballistic channels superimposed on tunneling conduction channels in magnetic tunnel junctions has been studied in a manganese oxide based tunneling device. Inversion of magnetoresistance has been observed in magnetic tunnel junctions with pinhole nanocontacts over a broad temperature range. The tunnel magnetoresistance undergoes a change of sign at higher bias and temperature. This phenomenon is attributed to the parallel conduction channels consisting of spin conserved ballistic transport through the pinhole contact where the transmission probability is close to unity and spi…
Spin-dependent transport through two coupled single-level quantum dots weakly connected to ferromagnetic leads with collinear magnetizations is considered theoretically. Transport characteristics, including the current, linear and nonlinear conductance, and tunnel magnetoresistance are calculated using the real-time diagrammatic technique in the parallel, serial, and intermediate geometries. The effects due to virtual tunneling processes between the two dots via the leads, associated with off-diagonal coupling matrix elements, are also considered. Negative differential conductance and negative…
Nanoscale multifunctional perpendicular organic spin valves have been fabricated. The devices based on an La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$/Alq$_3$/Co trilayer show resistive switching of up to 4-5 orders of magnitude and magnetoresistance as high as -70% the latter even changing sign when voltage pulses are applied. This combination of phenomena is typically observed in multiferroic tunnel junctions where it is attributed to magnetoelectric coupling between a ferromagnet and a ferroelectric material. Modeling indicates that here the switching originates from a modification of the La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3…
Using a quantum theory including spin-splitting effect in diluted magnetic semiconductors, we study the dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) on barrier thickness, temperature and applied voltage in GaMnAs/GaAs/GaMnAs heterostructures. TMR ratios more than 65% are obtained at zero temperature, when one GaAs monolayer ($\approx$ 0.565 nm) is used as a tunnel barrier. It is also shown that the TMR ratio decreases rapidly with increasing the barrier thickness and applied voltage, however at high voltages and low thicknesses, the TMR first increases and then decreases. Our model calculat…
GaMnAs-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices are characterized by in-plane and perpendicular-toplane magnetotransport at low temperatures. Perpendicular-to-plane transport reveals the typical tunneling magnetotransport (TMR) signal. Interestingly, a similar TMR signature is observed in the in-plane transport signal. Here, low-ohmic shunting of the MTJ by the top contact results in significant perpendicular-to-plane current paths. This effect allows the determination of TMR ratios of MTJs based on a simplified in-plane measurement. However, the same effect can lead to an inaccurate deter…
Resistive and magnetoresistive properties of two samples of compacted powders of ferromagnetic half-metal CrO_{2} with shape anisotropy of nanoparticles were studied. The powders were prepared by the method of hydrothermal synthesis and consisted of needle-like particles with average diameters 24-34 nm and mean length of 300 nm. One of the samples has been made of compacted powder of pure CrO_{2}, while another sample has been prepared from a substitution solid solution Cr_{1-x}Fe_{x}O_{2}. The aim of this work was to study the effect of Fe impurity on the value of tunnel resistance and tunnel…
The possibility of quantum oscillations of the tunnel conductance and magnetoresistance induced by spin-wave excitations in a ferromagnet-ferromagnet-ferromagnet double barrier tunnel junction, when the magnetizations of the two side ferromagnets are aligned antiparallel to that of the middle ferromagnet, is investigated in a self-consistent manner by means of Keldysh nonequilibrium Green function method. It has been found that owing to the s-d exchange interactions between conduction electrons and the spin density induced by spin accumulation in the middle ferromagnet, the differential conduc…
Injection of spins into semiconductors is essential for the integration of the spin functionality into conventional electronics. Insulating layers are often inserted between ferromagnetic metals and semiconductors for obtaining an efficient spin injection, and it is therefore crucial to distinguish between signatures of electrical spin injection and impurity-driven effects in the tunnel barrier. Here we demonstrate an impurity-assisted tunneling magnetoresistance effect in nonmagnetic-insulator-nonmagnetic and ferromagnetic-insulator-nonmagnetic tunnel barriers. In both cases, the effect refle…
Controlling electronic transport through a single-molecule junction is crucial for molecular electronics or spintronics. In magnetic molecular devices, the spin degree-of-freedom can be used to this end since the magnetic properties of the magnetic ion centers fundamentally impact the transport through the molecules. Here we demonstrate that the electron pathway in a single-molecule device can be selected between two molecular orbitals by varying a magnetic field, giving rise to a tunable anisotropic magnetoresistance up to 93%. The unique tunability of the electron pathways is due to the magn…
The effects of the spin-orbit interaction on the tunneling magnetoresistance of ferromagnet/semiconductor/normal metal tunnel junctions are investigated. Analytical expressions for the tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) are derived within an approximation in which the dependence of the magnetoresistance on the magnetization orientation in the ferromagnet originates from the interference between Bychkov-Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings that appear at junction interfaces and in the tunneling region. We also investigate the transport properties of ferromagnet/semiconductor/…
Inverse magnetoresistance has been observed in magnetic tunnel junctions with pinhole nanocontacts over a broad temperature range. The tunnel magnetoresistance undergoes a change of sign at higher bias and temperature. This phenomenon is attributed to the competition between the spin conserved ballistic transport through the pinhole contact where the transmission probability is close to unity and spin polarized tunneling across the insulating spacer with weak transmittivity.
We reveal that the interplay between Rashba spin-orbit coupling and proximity-induced magnetization in a two-dimensional electron gas leads to peculiar transport properties and large anisotropy of magnetoresistance. While the related tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) has been extensively studied before, we predict an effect with a different origin arising from the evolution of a resonant condition with the in-plane rotation of magnetization and having a much larger magnitude. The resonances in the tunneling emerge from a spin-parity-time symmetry of the scattering states. However,…
Spin-dependent transport through a multilevel quantum dot weakly coupled to ferromagnetic leads is analyzed theoretically by means of the real-time diagrammatic technique. Both the sequential and cotunneling processes are taken into account, which makes the results on tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and shot noise applicable in the whole range of relevant bias and gate voltages. Suppression of the TMR due to inelastic cotunneling and super-Poissonian shot noise have been found in some of the Coulomb blockade regions. Furthermore, in the Coulomb blockade regime there is an additional contributio…
Effects of impurity on the spin-dependent transport in a single wall carbon nanotube spin-valve, as ferromagnetic electrode/carbon nanotube/ferromagnetic electrode model junction is numerically investigated. Using a generalized Green's function method and the Landauer-Buttiker formalism, the impurity conditions are determined by randomly substitution of carbon atoms in the honeycomb carbon nanotube lattice by nitrogen and boron atoms. We have found that transport characteristics, including the spin-dependent current and tunnel magnetoresistance are strongly influenced by the impurity effects. …
We report the precise control of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in devices of self-assembled core/shell Fe$_3$O$_4$/Co$_{1-x}$Zn$_x$Fe$_2$O$_4$ nanoparticles ($0\leq x\leq 1$). Adjusting the magnetic anisotropy through the content of Co$^{2+}$ in the shell, provides an accurate tool to control the switching field between the bistable states of the TMR. In this way, different combinations of soft/hard and hard/soft core/shell configurations can be envisaged for optimizing devices with the required magnetotransport response.
Thin film trilayer junction of La$%_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$ - SrTiO$_3$ - La$_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$ shows a factor of 9.7 change in resistance, in a magnetic field around 100 Oe at 14K. The junction magnetoresistance is bias and temperature dependent. The energy scales associated with bias and temperature dependence are an order of magnitude apart. The same set of energies also determine the bias and temperature dependence of the differential conductance of the junction. We discuss these results in terms of metallic cluster inclusions at the junction-barrier interface.
We analyze numerically the spin-dependent transport through coherent chains of three coupled quantum dots weakly connected to external magnetic leads. In particular, using the diagrammatic technique on the Keldysh contour, we calculate the conductance, shot noise and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) in the sequential and cotunneling regimes. We show that transport characteristics greatly depend on the strength of the interdot Coulomb correlations, which determines the spacial distribution of electron wave function in the chain. When the correlations are relatively strong, depending on the transp…
Magnetic multilayer devices that exploit magnetoresistance are the backbone of magnetic sensing and data storage technologies. Here we report novel multiple-spin-filter magnetic tunnel junctions (sf-MTJs) based on van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures in which atomically thin chromium triiodide (CrI3) acts as a spin-filter tunnel barrier sandwiched between graphene contacts. We demonstrate tunneling magnetoresistance which is drastically enhanced with increasing CrI3 layer thickness, reaching a record 19,000% for magnetic multilayer structures using four-layer sf-MTJs at low temperatures. These…
