Spin-polarized quantum transport properties through flexible phosphorene

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to show that mechanical tension and bending significantly enhance spin-polarized transport properties in phosphorene with nickel electrodes, promising for flexible electronic applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the tunability of TMR and SIE in phosphorene-based tunnel junctions through mechanical deformation, a novel approach for flexible spintronic devices.

Findings

TMR ratio reaches 107% at 10% tension

SIE increases from 8% to 43% with tension

TMR increases from 7% to 50% under bending

Abstract

We report a first-principles study on the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) and spin-injection efficiency (SIE) through phosphorene with nickel electrodes under the mechanical tension and bending on the phosphorene region. Both the TMR and SIE are largely improved under these mechanical deformations. For the uniaxial tension ($\varepsilon_y$) varying from 0 to 15\% applied along the armchair transport ({\it y}-)direction of the phosphorene, the TMR ratio is enhanced with a maximum of 107\% at the $\varepsilon_y=10\%$, while the SIE increases monotonously from 8\% up to 43\% with the increasing of the strain. Under the out-of-plane bending, the TMR overall increases from 7\% to 50\% within the bending ratio of 0-3.9\%, and meanwhile the SIE is largely improved to around 70\%, as compared to that (30\%) of the flat phosphorene. Such behaviors of the TMR and SIE are mainly affected by the transmission of spin-up electrons in the parallel configuration, which is highly depended on the applied mechanical tension and bending. Our results indicate that the phosphorene based tunnel junctions have promising applications in flexible electronics.