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Spin electronics is a new field of research combines two traditional branches of physics: magnetism and electronics. One of the most interesting fields of spin electronics is spin polarized resonant tunneling in double barrier magnetic junctions (DBMJ). DBMJ consist of ferromagnetic metal layers separated by thin insulating barrier layers. The insulating layers are thin enough for electrons to tunnel through the barriers if a bias voltage is applied between the electrodes. A very important property of such junctions is that the tunnel current depends on the relative orientation of the magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers, which can be changed by an applied magnetic field. This phenomenon is called tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR). The TMR behavior in DBMJ is determined by quantum well states (QWS) formed in the middle layer. Impurities in the middle layer can shift the original QWS. TMR can be dramatically enhanced or suppressed due to impurity-induced shift of original QWS.

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Last updated: December 29, 2003