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On the Importance of Defects in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

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Book cover Local-Moment Ferromagnets

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 678))

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Abstract

The interpretation of junction magnetoresistance results of ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet structures must consider a number of complications. These complications include spin polarized defects within the nonmagnetic dielectric layer, and the recognition that many metal to metal oxide interfaces often involve further oxidation and reduction making such interfaces very heterogeneous. The possibility of spin-polarized defects in the barrier layer is important as large values of magnetoresistance may result that have little to do with the ferromagnetic polarization. Interlayer exchange coupling between two ferromagnetic films, separated by a nonmagnetic nonmetallic spacer (semiconductor and insulator materials) can also occur. This coupling is distinct from the very low temperature tunneling phenomena between two ferromagnets, through a dielectric spacer layer, as the coupling is sometimes oscillatory. As an illustration, the ferromagnetic coupling between Co and CrO2, through an insulator (Cr2O3) may be related to defect states in the insulating barrier layer.

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Center for Materials Research and Analysis (CMRA) 116 Brace Laboratory of Physics, University of Nebraska, P.O. Box 880111, 68588-0111, Lincoln, Nebraska USA

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Dowben, P., Doudin, B. On the Importance of Defects in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions. In: Donath, M., Nolting, W. (eds) Local-Moment Ferromagnets. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 678. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11417255_19

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