Spin transport analysis for a spin pseudovalve-type L_l/SC/L_r trilayer for L = {FeCr, Fe, Co, NiFe, Ni} and SC = {GaSb, InSb, InAs, GaAs, ZnSe}

TL;DR

This study theoretically investigates spin transport and tunnel magnetoresistance in a trilayer pseudospin-valve heterostructure with ferromagnetic electrodes and semiconductor insulators, highlighting the effects of spin-orbit coupling and electrode configuration.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive model including exchange splitting and spin-orbit coupling to analyze TMR in various ferromagnet/semiconductor configurations, expanding understanding of spin transport in such heterostructures.

Findings

Maximum TMR of 83.60% in FeCr/GaSb/FeCr configuration.

Dresselhaus SOC has a greater impact on TMR than Rashba SOC.

TMR varies with electrode permutation due to Fermi energy differences.

Abstract

In this work, we present a theoretical study of spin transport in a trilayer pseudospin-valve (PSV) heterostructure composed of electrode (L_l)/insulator/electrode (L_r). The insulating layer corrresponds to a semiconductor (SC) with a zinc-blende crystal structure from the III-V (GaSb, InSb, InAs, and GaAs) or the II-VI (ZnSe), while the electrodes are ferromagnetic materials L_j = {FeCr, Fe, Co, NiFe, Ni}. This combination yields 125 possible PSV configurations. The theoretical model implemented is based on the approach proposed by J. C. Slonczewski. In our approach, the exchange splitting in the ferromagnetic materials and the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of the Dresselhaus and Rashba types in the semiconductors are included, allowing control of the wave vector associated with the spin states. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) is calculated at low temperature as a function of the semiconductor thickness, parameterized with respect to the crystallographic axis that favors the magnetization direction in the ferromagnetic electrodes, within the Landauer--B\"uttiker formalism in the single-channel regime. The results show that the TMR reaches its maximum value independently of the relative orientation between the magnetization vector and the crystallographic direction. The most efficient configuration corresponds to Fe_{90}Cr_{10}/GaSb/Fe_{90}Cr_{10}, with a TMR value of 83.60%. Furthermore, the Dresselhaus SOC contributes more significantly to the TMR than the Rashba SOC. Finally, the TMR varies when the electrodes L_j are permuted, due to differences in their Fermi energies. The obtained results are compared with previous studies reported in the literature based on alternative theoretical frameworks or assumptions, showing good agreement.