Physical Review B · 2009 · 33 citations · 31 references
Natural SciencesMaterials SciencePhysicsInterface ScienceMagnetic MaterialsMaterials PhysicsElectrical ConductivityFerromagnetismInterface EngineeringMagnetic OxidesMagnetism In SolidsMetalsCrystalline StructureElectron Energy-loss SpectroscopyInterfacial Transport PropertiesMagnetic Tunnel JunctionsMagnetic Tunneling JunctionsMolecular Beam EpitaxyRoughnessTunnel Junctions
The crystalline structure, chemical composition, and bonding states across epitaxial Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions grown by molecular-beam epitaxy have been investigated down to the atomic scale by spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Both metal-insulator interfaces exhibit significant roughness, which can be attributed to Fe and MgO terraces overlapping one another. These terraces extend over typical widths of 6--10 nm parallel to the interface and over typical heights below 1 nm, and a structural asymmetry of the roughness is revealed. These features could be responsible for the nonsymmetrical transport properties measured when reversing the applied voltage.
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Giant tunnelling magnetoresistance at room temperature with MgO (100) tunnel barriers
S. Parkin, Christian Kaiser, Alex Panchula et al. · Nature Materials · 2004 · 3.3K citations