No Arabic abstract
Spin filter tunnel junctions are based on selective tunneling of up and down spin electrons controlled through exchange splitting of the band structure of a ferromagnetic insulator. Therefore, spin filter efficiency can be tuned by adjusting exchange strength of the tunnel barrier. We have observed that magnetic field and bias voltage (current) can be used to regulate exchange strength and consequently spin-filter efficiency in tunnel junctions with ferromagnetic DyN and GdN tunnel barrier. In tunnel junctions with DyN barrier we obtained $sim$37$%$ spin polarization of tunneling electrons at 11 K due to a small exchange splitting ($ E_{ex}$) $approx$5.6 meV of the barrier height ($Phi _0$) $approx$60 meV. Huge spin-filter efficiency $sim$97$%$ was found for tunnel junctions with GdN barrier due to larger $E_{ex}$ $approx$47 meV. In the presence of an applied magnetic field, barrier height can further split due to magnetic field dependent exchange splitting $ E_{ex}(H)$. The spin filter efficiency in DyN tunnel junctions can be increased up to $sim$87$%$ with magnetic field. Electric and magnetic field tuned spin-filter efficiency of these tunnel junctions gives opportunity for practical application of these devices with additional functionality.
The thermal spin-transfer torque (TSTT) is an effect to switch the magnetic free layer in a magnetic tunnel junction by a temperature gradient only. We present ab initio calculations of the TSTT. In particular, we discuss the influence of magnetic layer composition by considering $text{Fe}_text{x}text{Co}_{text{1-x}}$ alloys. Further, we compare the TSTT to the bias voltage driven STT and discuss the requirements for a possible thermal switching. For example, only for very thin barriers of 3 monolayers MgO a thermal switching is imaginable. However, even for such a thin barrier the TSTT is still too small for switching at the moment and further optimization is needed. In particular, the TSTT strongly depends on the composition of the ferromagentic layer. In our current study it turns out that at the chosen thickness of the ferromagnetic layer pure Fe gives the highest thermal spin-transfer torque.
We theoretically study the recently observed tunnel-barrier-enhanced dc voltage signals generated by magnetization precession in magnetic tunnel junctions. While the spin pumping is suppressed by the high tunneling impedance, two complimentary processes are predicted to result in a sizable voltage generation in ferromagnet (F)|insulator (I)|normal-metal (N) and F|I|F junctions, with one ferromagnet being resonantly excited. Magnetic dynamics in F|I|F systems induces a robust charge pumping, translating into voltage in open circuits. In addition, dynamics in a single ferromagnetic layer develops longitudinal spin accumulation inside the ferromagnet. A tunnel barrier then acts as a nonintrusive probe that converts the spin accumulation into a measurable voltage. Neither of the proposed mechanisms suffers from spin relaxation, which is typically fast on the scale of the exponentially slow tunneling rates. The longitudinal spin-accumulation buildup, however, is very sensitive to the phenomenological ingredients of the spin-relaxation picture.
This Letter presents ab initio calculations of the magneto-thermoelectric power (MTEP) and of the spin-Seebeck coefficient in MgO based tunnel junctions with Fe and Co leads. In addition, the normal thermopower is calculated and gives for pure Fe and Co an quantitative agreement with experiments. Consequently, the calculated values in tunnel junctions are a good estimation of upper limits. In particular, spin-Seebeck coefficients of more than 100 mu V/K are possible. The MTEP ratio exceed several 1000% and depends strongly on temperature. In the case of Fe leads the MTEP ratio diverges even to infinity at certain temperatures. The spin-Seebeck coefficient as a function of temperature shows a non-trivial dependence. For Fe/MgO/Fe even the sign of the coefficient changes with temperature.
We simulate the spin torque-induced reversal of the magnetization in thin disks with perpendicular anisotropy at zero temperature. Disks typically smaller than 20 nm in diameter exhibit coherent reversal. A domain wall is involved in larger disks. We derive the critical diameter of this transition. Using a proper definition of the critical voltage, a macrospin model can account perfectly for the reversal dynamics when the reversal is coherent. The same critical voltage appears to match with the micromagnetics switching voltage regardless of the switching path.
Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are basic building blocks for devices such as magnetic random access memories (MRAMs). The relevance for modern computation of non-volatile high-frequency memories makes ac-transport measurements of MTJs crucial for exploring this regime. Here we demonstrate a frequency-mediated effect in which the tunnel magnetoimpedance reverses its sign in a classical Co/Al{_2}O{_3}/NiFe MTJ, whereas we only observe a gradual decrease of tunnel magnetophase. Such effects are explained by the capacitive coupling of a parallel resistor and capacitor in the equivalent circuit model of the MTJ. Furthermore, we report a positive tunnel magnetocapacitance effect, suggesting the presence of a spin-capacitance at the two ferromagnet/tunnel-barrier interfaces. Our results are important for understanding spin transport phenomena at the high frequency regime, in which the spin-polarized charge accumulation at the two interfaces plays a crucial role.