We study the tunneling magneto thermo power (TMTP) in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junction nanopillars. Thermal gradients across the junctions are generated by a micropatterned electric heater line. Thermo power voltages up to a few tens of muV between the top and bottom contact of the nanopillars are measured which scale linearly with the applied heating power and hence with the applied temperature gradient. The thermo power signal varies by up to 10 muV upon reversal of the relative magnetic configuration of the two CoFeB layers from parallel to antiparallel. This signal change corresponds to a large spin-dependent Seebeck coefficient of the order of 100 muV/K and a large TMTP change of the tunnel junction of up to 90%.
While the effects of lattice mismatch-induced strain, mechanical strain, as well as the intrinsic strain of thin films are sometimes detrimental, resulting in mechanical deformation and failure, strain can also be usefully harnessed for applications such as data storage, transistors, solar cells, and strain gauges, among other things. Here, we demonstrate that quantum transport across magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) can be significantly affected by the introduction of controllable mechanical strain, achieving an enhancement factor of ~2 in the experimental tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio. We further correlate this strain-enhanced TMR with coherent spin tunneling through the MgO barrier. Moreover, the strain-enhanced TMR is analyzed using non-equilibrium Greens function (NEGF) quantum transport calculations. Our results help elucidate the TMR mechanism at the atomic level and can provide a new way to enhance, as well as tune, the quantum properties in nanoscale materials and devices.
We show that direct current in a tantalum microstrip can induce steady-state magnetic oscillations in an adjacent nanomagnet through spin torque from the spin Hall effect (SHE). The oscillations are detected electrically via a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) contacting the nanomagnet. The oscillation frequency can be controlled using the MTJ bias to tune the magnetic anisotropy. In this 3-terminal device the SHE torque and the MTJ bias therefore provide independent controls of the oscillation amplitude and frequency, enabling new approaches for developing tunable spin torque nano-oscillators.
The transport properties of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are very sensitive to interface modifications. In this work we investigate both experimentally and theoretically the effect of asymmetric barrier modifications on the bias dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in single crystal Fe/MgO-based MTJs with (i) one crystalline and one rough interface and (ii) with a monolayer of O deposited at the crystalline interface. In both cases we observe an asymmetric bias dependence of TMR and a reversal of its sign at large bias. We propose a general model to explain the bias dependence in these and similar systems reported earlier. The model predicts the existence of two distinct TMR regimes: (i) tunneling regime when the interface is modified with layers of a different insulator and (ii) resonant regime when thin metallic layers are inserted at the interface. We demonstrate that in the tunneling regime negative TMR is due to the high voltage which overcomes the exchange splitting in the electrodes, while the asymmetric bias dependence of TMR is due to the interface transmission probabilities. In the resonant regime inversion of TMR could happen at zero voltage depending on the alignment of the resonance levels with the Fermi surfaces of the electrodes. Moreover, the model predicts a regime in which TMR has different sign at positive and negative bias suggesting possibilities of combining memory with logic functions.
Magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular anisotropy form the basis of the spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memory (STT-MRAM), which is non-volatile, fast, dense, and has quasi-infinite write endurance and low power consumption. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we propose an alternative design of magnetic tunnel junctions comprising Fe(n)Co(m)Fe(n)/MgO storage layers with greatly enhanced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) up to several mJ/m2, leveraging the interfacial perpendicular anisotropy of Fe/MgO along with a stress-induced bulk PMA discovered within bcc Co. This giant enhancement dominates the demagnetizing energy when increasing the film thickness. The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) estimated from the Julliere model is comparable with that of the pure Fe/MgO case. We discuss the advantages and pitfalls of a real-life fabrication of the structure and propose the Fe(3ML)Co(4ML)Fe(3ML) as a storage layer for MgO-based STT-MRAM cells. The large PMA in strained bcc Co is explained in the framework of Brunos model by the MgO-imposed strain and consequent changes in the energies of dyz and dz2 minority-spin bands.
The radio-frequency (RF) voltage amplification property of a tunnel magnetoresistance device driven by an RF external-magnetic-field-induced ferromagnetic resonance was studied. The proposed device consists of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and an electrically isolated coplanar waveguide. The input RF voltage applied to the waveguide can excite the resonant dynamics in the free layer magnetization, leading to the generation of an output RF voltage under a DC bias current. The dependences of the RF voltage gain on the static external magnetic field strength and angle were systematically investigated. The design principles for the enhancement of the gain factor are also discussed.