Interplay of symmetry-conserved tunneling, interfacial oxidation and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in CoFeB/MgO-based junctions
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The interfacial oxidation level and thermodynamic properties of MgO-based perpendicular magnetic tunneling junctions are investigated. The symmetry-conserved tunneling effect depends sensitively on the MgO adatom energy during RF sputtering, as well as on the thermal stability of the structure during post-growth annealing. The effect of ultrathin Mg insertion layers, and the discrepancies reported in the literature regarding their impact, are elucidated. Two distinct failure modes of the magnetoresistance are highlighted, involving the decay of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and the destruction of coherent tunneling channels, respectively. Through careful control of the interfacial oxidation level and proper selection of the heavy metal layers, both PMA and tunneling magnetoresistance of the junctions can be enhanced.
Institution: University of Arizona
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
Awards: Voltage controlled antiferromagnetism in magnetic tunnel junctions, G1626017250, G3646514949, CAREER:Toward ultra-low energy switching in spintronic devices, G7274005677, G7511419204, Collaborative Research: Spintronics Enabled Stochastic Spiking Neural Networks with Temporal Information Encoding, Energy efficient spin-torque devices, G8575965135
OpenAlex ID: W4307929331