Large Resistance Change on Magnetic Tunnel Junction based Molecular Spintronics Devices

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that molecular bridges can significantly alter spin transport and magnetic properties in magnetic tunnel junctions, revealing potential for molecular spintronics applications at room temperature.

Contribution

It introduces the use of organometallic molecular complexes to induce strong coupling and modify transport and magnetic properties in magnetic tunnel junctions.

Findings

OMCs induce strong electrode coupling

Transport properties drastically change at room temperature

Magnetic properties are transformed by OMCs

Abstract

Molecular bridges covalently bonded to two ferromagnetic electrodes can transform ferromagnetic materials and produce intriguing spin transport characteristics. This paper discusses the impact of molecule induced strong coupling on spin transport. To study the molecular coupling effect organometallic molecular complex (OMC) was bridged between two ferromagnetic electrodes of a magnetic tunnel junction (Ta/Co/NiFe/AlOx/NiFe/Ta) along the exposed side edges. OMCs induced strong iter-ferromagnetic electrode coupling to yield drastic changes in transport properties of the magnetic tunnel junction testbed at the room temperature. These OMCs also transformed the magnetic properties of magnetic tunnel junctions. SQUID and ferromagnetic resonance studies provided insightful data to explain transport studies on the magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices.