Oxygen-vacancy driven tunnelling spintronics across MgO

U. Halisdemir; F. Schleicher; D. J. Kim; B. Taudul; D. Lacour; W. S. Choi; M. Gallart; S. Boukari; G. Schmerber; V. Davesne; P. Panissod; D. Halley; H. Majjad; Y. Henry; B. Leconte; A. Boulard; D. Spor; N. Beyer; C. Kieber; E. Sternitzky; O. Cregut; M. Ziegler; F. Montaigne; J. Arabski; E. Beaurepaire; W. Jo; M. Alouani; P. Gilliot; M. Hehn; M. Bowen

doi:10.1117/12.2239017

26 September 2016 Oxygen-vacancy driven tunnelling spintronics across MgO

U. Halisdemir, F. Schleicher, D. J. Kim, B. Taudul, D. Lacour, W. S. Choi, M. Gallart, S. Boukari, G. Schmerber, V. Davesne, P. Panissod, D. Halley, H. Majjad, Y. Henry, B. Leconte, A. Boulard, D. Spor, N. Beyer, C. Kieber, E. Sternitzky, O. Cregut, M. Ziegler, F. Montaigne, J. Arabski, E. Beaurepaire, W. Jo, M. Alouani, P. Gilliot, M. Hehn, M. Bowen

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9931, Spintronics IX; 99310H (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2239017
Event: SPIE Nanoscience + Engineering, 2016, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The conservation of an electron’s spin and symmetry as it undergoes solid-state tunnelling within magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is thought to be best understood using MgO-based MTJs¹. Yet the very large experimental values of tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) that justify this perception are often associated with tunnelling barrier heights well below those suggested by the MgO optical band gap. This combination of high TMR and low RA-product, while spawning spin-transfer/spin-orbit torque experiments and considerable industrial interest, cannot be explained by standard theory. Noting the impact of a tunnel barrier’s altered stoichiometry on TMR², we reconcile this 10+year-old contradiction between theory and experiment by considering the impact of the MgO barrier’s structural defects^3–5. We find that the ground and excited states of oxygen vacancies can promote localized states within the band gap with differing electronic character. By setting symmetry- and temperature-dependent tunnelling barrier heights, they alter symmetry-polarized tunnelling and thus TMR. We will examine how annealing, depending on MgO growth conditions, can alter the nature of these localized states. This oxygen vacancy paradigm of inorganic tunnelling spintronics opens interesting perspectives into endowing the MTJ with additional functionalities, such as optically manipulating the MTJ’s spintronic response.

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U. Halisdemir, F. Schleicher, D. J. Kim, B. Taudul, D. Lacour, W. S. Choi, M. Gallart, S. Boukari, G. Schmerber, V. Davesne, P. Panissod, D. Halley, H. Majjad, Y. Henry, B. Leconte, A. Boulard, D. Spor, N. Beyer, C. Kieber, E. Sternitzky, O. Cregut, M. Ziegler, F. Montaigne, J. Arabski, E. Beaurepaire, W. Jo, M. Alouani, P. Gilliot, M. Hehn, and M. Bowen "Oxygen-vacancy driven tunnelling spintronics across MgO", Proc. SPIE 9931, Spintronics IX, 99310H (26 September 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2239017

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