锡山高级中学:Spin-dependent tunnelling 2003

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Spin-dependent tunnelling in magnetic tunnel junctions

Evgeny Y Tsymbal, Oleg N Mryasov and Patrick R LeClair,J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 15 (2003) R109–R142
A MTJ consists of two ferromagnetic metal layers separated by a thin insulating barrier layer. The insulating layer is so thin (a few nanometres or less) that electrons can tunnel through the barrier if a bias voltage is applied between the two metal electrodes across the insulator.
Although TMR has been known from the experiments of Julliere [1] for almost 30 years, only a relatively modest number of studies had been performed in this field up to the mid-1990s.
the possibility of large values of TMR in MTJs with Al2O3 insulating layers,
Nowadays MTJs that are based on 3d-metal ferromagnets and Al2O3 barriers can be routinely fabricatedwith reproducible  characteristics and with TMR values up to 50% at room temperature, making them suitable for industrial applications (see,e.g., [4]).
2.1. Experiments on spin-dependent tunnellingThe field of SDT was founded by the pioneering experiments of Tedrow and Meservey [5, 6]. They used ferromagnet/insulator/superconductor (FM/I/S) tunnel junctions tomeasure the spin polarization of the tunnelling current originating from various ferromagnetic metals across an alumina insulating barrier. In these experiments, electrons tunnel through the barrier to a superconducting Al film which acts as a spin detector.