Theory for Tunnel Magnetoresistance Oscillation
Keisuke Masuda, Thomas Scheike, Hiroaki Sukegawa, Yusuke Kozuka, Seiji Mitani, Yoshio Miura
TL;DR
This paper presents a theoretical explanation for the universal oscillation of tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios in magnetic tunnel junctions, attributing it to wave function superposition and spin-flip scattering effects, matching experimental data.
Contribution
It introduces a new theoretical model based on wave function superposition and spin-flip scattering to explain TMR oscillations in magnetic tunnel junctions.
Findings
TMR ratio oscillates with a period of approximately 3 Å in Fe/MgO/Fe junctions.
The model aligns with experimental observations of TMR oscillations.
Spin-flip scattering at interfaces causes hybridization of spin states.
Abstract
The universal oscillation of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio as a function of the insulating barrier thickness in crystalline magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is a long-standing unsolved problem in condensed matter physics. To explain this, we here introduce a superposition of wave functions with opposite spins and different Fermi momenta, based on the fact that spin-flip scattering near the interface provides a hybridization between majority- and minority-spin states. In a typical Fe/MgO/Fe MTJ, we solve the tunneling problem and show that the TMR ratio oscillates with a period of \r{A} by varying the MgO thickness, consistent with previous and present experimental observations.
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