Temperature dependence of interlayer coupling in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with GdOX barriers
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with GdOX tunneling barriers have shown a unique voltage controllable interlayer magnetic coupling effect. Here, we investigate the quality of the GdOX barrier and the coupling mechanism in these junctions by examining the temperature dependence of the tunneling magnetoresistance and the interlayer coupling from room temperature down to 11 K. The barrier is shown to be of good quality with the spin independent conductance only contributing a small portion, 14%, to the total room temperature conductance, similar to AlOX and MgO barriers. The interlayer coupling, however, shows an anomalously strong temperature dependence including sign changes below 80 K. This non-trivial temperature dependence is not described by previous models of interlayer coupling and may be due to the large induced magnetic moment of the Gd ions in the barrier.
Source: Applied Physics Letters
DOI: 10.1063/1.5002586
Authors: T. Newhouse-Illige, Y. H. Xu, Y. H. Liu, S. Huang, H. Kato, C. Bi, M. Xu, B. J. LeRoy, W. G. Wang
Institutions: University of Arizona, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Collaborative Research: Combined transport and scanning probe studies of transition metal dichalcogenide-based heterostructure devices, G3646514949, CAREER:Toward ultra-low energy switching in spintronic devices, G8267548865, G8575965135, MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-Functional Scanning Probe Microscope System for Nanoscale Surface and Interface Characterization
OpenAlex ID: W2752339554