Abstract
Magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) are essential for non-volatile magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) applications. Here, we report the observation of a negative tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) in the CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB system with an orthogonally-magnetized configuration. Through the modulation of the MgO thickness, the negative TMR component is up to 20% under a large negative voltage bias. Moreover, the tunnel anisotropic magneto-resistance measurements unveil that the negative TMR component likely arises from the interfacial resonance states (IRS) in the minority band of the bottom ferromagnetic layer. Complementary first principle calculations further quantify the IRS location and strength with respect to the Fermi level position. Our work not only confirm the vital role of IRS in the electrical transport of MTJ, but also provide valuable insights for the design of new-generation voltage-controlled MRAM and related spintronic applications.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 3400106 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | IEEE Transactions on Magnetics |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - 2024 |
Keywords
- first-principle calculation
- Interfacial resonant state
- Magnetic anisotropy
- Magnetic fields
- Magnetic resonance
- Magnetic tunneling
- Magnetic tunneling junction
- negative TMR
- Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy
- Resistance
- Tunneling magnetoresistance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering