Tunneling Conductance and Magnetoresistance in Ferromagnet/Ferromagnet/d-Wave Superconductor Double Tunnel Junctions

The tunneling conductance and tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) are investigated in ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet/insulator/d-wave superconductor (FM/I/FM/I/d-wave SC) structures by applying an extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) approach. We study the effects of the exchange splitting in the FM, the magnetic impurity scattering in the thin insulator interface of FM/I/FM, and noncollinear magnetizations in adjacent magnetic layers on the TMR. It is shown (1) that the tunneling conductance and TMR exhibit amplitude-varying oscillating behavior with exchange splitting, (2) that with the presence of spin-flip scattering in insulator interface of FM/I/FM, the TMR can be dramatically enhanced, and (3) that the TMR depends strongly on the angle between the magnetization of two FMs.     

Nonequilibrium spin accumulation and tunneling magnetoresistance in a ferromagnet/semiconductor/ferromagnet double tunnel junction

Taking into account the nonequilibrium spin accumulation, we apply a quantum-statistical approach to study the spin-polarized transport in a two-dimensional ferromagnet/semiconductor/ferromagnet (FM/SM/FM) double tunnel junction. It is found that the effective spin polarization is raised by increasing the barrier strength, resulting in an enhancement of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). The nonequilibrium spin accumulation in SM may appear in both antiparallel and parallel alignments of magnetizations in two FMs, in particular for high bias voltages. The effects of spin accumulation and TMR on the bias voltage are discussed.     

The influence of the Dresselhaus spin--orbit coupling on the tunnelling magnetoresistance in ferromagnet/ insulator /semiconductor/ insulator /ferromagnet tunnel junctions

This paper investigates the effect of Dresselhaus spin--orbit coupling on the spin-transport properties of ferromagnet/insulator/semiconductor/insulator/ferromagnet double-barrier structures. The influence of the thickness of the insulator between the ferromagnet and the semiconductor on the polarization is also considered. The obtained results indicate that (i) the polarization can be enhanced by reducing the insulator layers at zero temperature, and (ii) the tunnelling magnetoresistance inversion can be illustrated by the influence of the Dresselhaus spin--orbit coupling effect in the double-barrier structure. Due to the Dresselhaus spin--orbit coupling effect, the tunnelling magnetoresistance inversion occurs when the energy of a localized state in the barrier matches the Fermi energy E_F of the ferromagnetic electrodes.     

TUNNEL MAGNETORESISTANCE IN THE FERROMAGNETIC TUNNEL JUNCTION WITH FERROMAGNETIC LAYERS OF FINITE THICKNESS SUBJECTED TO AN ELECTRIC FIELD

Based on the two-band model, we investigate the tunnel magnetoresistance(TMR) in ferromagnet/insulator (semiconductor)/ferromagnet(FM/I(S)/FM) tunnel junction covered on both sides by nonmagnetic metal layers subjected to an electric field. Our results show that TMR oscillates with the thickness of ferromagnetic layers owing to the quantum-size effect and can reach very large value under suitable conditions, which may in general not be reached in FM/I(S)/FM with infinitely thick ferromagnetic layer. Although the electric field causes the change of the oscillation period, phase and amplitude of the TMR, a large TMR is still obtained in some situations with the electric field. Furthermore, the electric field does not change the feature that TMR varies monotonously with the change of magnetization angle of the middle ferromagnetic layer.     

Spin-relaxation and magnetoresistance in FM/SC/FM tunnel junctions

The effect of spin relaxation on tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) in a ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (FM/SC/FM) double tunnel junction is theoretically studied. The spin accumulation in SC is determined by balancing of the spin-injection rate and the spin-relaxation rate. In the superconducting state, the spin-relaxation time τ_s becomes longer with decreasing temperature, resulting in a rapid increase of TMR. The TMR of FM/SC/FM junctions provides a useful probe to extract information about spin-relaxation in superconductors.     

铁磁/铁磁/超导结中的量子干涉效应对准粒子输运的影响

通过求解Bogoliubov-deGennes方程,利用推广的Bonder-Tinklam-Klapwijk方法,计算铁磁/绝缘层/铁磁/绝缘层/超导结构中的微分电导(G)和散粒噪声(S)。研究发现系统中的微分电导和散粒噪声都随中间铁磁层厚度作两种不同周斯的振荡,其中通过增强铁磁材料中的交换劈裂和铁磁/超导界面的势垒强度,短周期分量可从长周期中分离出来,反之通过降低铁磁层中的交换劈裂和铁磁/超导界面的势垒强度,长周期分量可从短周期中分离出来,这一结果表明G和S中的两种不同周期的振荡分量分别来自入射电子与铁磁/超导界面处的Andreev反射和正常电子反射的量子干涉效应。     

Large oscillating tunnel magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic graphene single tunnel junction

Spin-polarized transports of relativistic electrons through graphene-based ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet (FG/IG/FG) single junctions have been investigated theoretically. Large oscillating tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) has been found in monolayer and bilayer FG/IG/FG junctions. The oscillating amplitudes of TMR do not decrease with the increase of the thickness and the height of barrier, in contrast to the exponential decay in conventional ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet single junction. The physical origin for such a phenomenon has also been analyzed. It is anticipated to apply such a phenomenon to design the spin-polarized electron device based on the graphene materials.     

Spin transport properties in ferromagnet/superconductor junctions on topological insulator

The spin-dependent Andreev reflection is investigated theoretically by analyzing the electronic transport in a thin-film topological insulator (TI) ferromagnet/superconductor (FM/SC) junction. The tunneling conductance and shot noise are calculated based on the Dirac-Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation and Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk theory. It is found that the magnetic gap in ferromagnet can enhance the Andreev retro-reflection but suppress the specular Andreev reflection. The gate potential applied to the electrode on top of superconductor can enhance the two types of reflections. There is a transition between the two types of reflections at which both the tunneling conductance and differential shot noise become zero. These results provide a method to realize and detect experimentally the intra-band specular Andreev reflection in thin film TI-based FM/SC structures.     

Spin-polarized quasiparticle transport in ferromagnet/insulator/p-wave superconductor junction

We have studied the tunneling conductance in ferromagnet/insulator/p-wave superconductor junctions, taking into account the rough interface scattering effect. We find that there exist zero-bias conductance peaks and single-minimum structure in tunneling spectroscopy. As the exchange energy increases, the Andreev reflection is always suppressed and the differential conductance decreases. The differential conductance depends on the barrier strength and the roughness at the interface. Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China (Grant No. 06KJB140009)     

Coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in ferromagnet/superconductor proximity structures

The Nambu spinor Green's function approach is applied to calculating the density of states (DOS) and superconducting order parameter in normal-metal/insulator/ferromagnet/superconductor (NM/I/FM/SC) junctions. It is found that the s-wave superconductivity and ferromagnetism can coexist near the FM/SC interface, which is induced by proximity effect. On the SC side, the spin-dependent DOS appears both within and without the energy gap. On the FM side, the superconducting order parameter displays a damped oscillation and the DOS exhibits some superconducting behavior. The calculated result for the DOS in FM for “0 state” and “π state” can reproduce recent tunneling spectra in Al/Al₂O₃/PdNi/Nb tunnel junctions. Received 1st July 2002 Published online 19 November 2002     

Effect of interfacial s-d scattering on transport in structures ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet

A two-band s-d model based on the Green function method has been developed for calculating the conductivity and tunnel magnetoresistance of ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet structures. It is shown that s-d scattering at the interface between the ferromagnet and the insulator in Fe/Al₂O₃/Fe increases the tunnel magnetoresistance. The spin polarization of the current decreases thereby and even becomes negative, which is mainly due to scattering of strongly localized d electrons to the s band, followed by tunnelling through the insulator.     

Spin-Polarized Tunneling Spectroscopy and Shot Noise in Ferromagnet/f-Wave Superconductor Junctions

The tunneling spectroscopy and shot noise in ferromagnet/insulator/triplet-superconductor (FM/I/triplet-SC) structures are studied by taking into account the roughness interfacial barrier and exchange splitting in the FM. For the triplet-SC of Sr₂RuO₄, we consider two-dimensional f-wave order parameter symmetries having nodes within the RuO₂ plane, which reasonably describe both thermodynamic and thermal conductivity data. It is shown that the ferromagnetic exchange splitting gives rise to a decrease in the differential conductance, the average current, and the shot noise power, while the noise power-to-current ratio is increased; the interface roughness is found to lead to a decrease in the differential conductance and the average current, and an increase in the noise power-to-current ratio.     

Interfacial charge current in the ferromagnet/two-dimensional electron gas junction with Rashba spin orbital interaction

We report a theoretical study on the interfacial electron transport in the ferromagnet/two-dimensional electron gas (FM/2DEG) hybrid junction at zero bias, where the Rashba spin-orbit interaction (RSOI) is considered in 2DEG region. It is shown that a nonzero charge current can spontaneously flow in the interface of the junction due to broken time reversal symmetry and spin-dependent scattering of electron at interface. This interfacial charge current can be modulated by system parameters such as the magnetization of FM, RSOI strength, and interface barrier, moreover, it can be optimized as the magnetization of FM in 2DEG plane is perpendicular to interface whereas it can vanish as the FM magnetization is parallel to interface.     

Effect of Rashba interaction at normal metal/insulator interface on spin-orbit torque of ferromagnet/normal metal/insulator trilayers

Based on a spin drift-diffusion model, we theoretically investigate the spin-orbit torque in ferromagnet/normal metal/insulator trilayers with considering the Rashba interfacial spin-orbit coupling at the normal metal/insulator interface. We find that the spin-orbit torque shows the opposite normal-metal-thickness dependences for the bulk spin-orbit coupling effect in the normal metal layer and for the interfacial spin-orbit coupling effect at the normal metal/insulator interface, offering a way to disentangle these two spin-orbit coupling effects. Moreover, we show that the conventional interpretation based on the bulk spin-orbit coupling effect overestimates the spin Hall angle and underestimates the spin diffusion length of the normal metal layer, when the interfacial contribution is non-negligible. Our result, a concise analytic expression of the spin-orbit torque considering both bulk and interface spin-orbit coupling effects, will be useful to design and interpret experiments on spin-orbit torque experiments in ferromagnet/normal metal/insulator trilayers.     

Tunneling conductance in topological insulator ferromagnet/p-wave superconductor junctions

The tunneling conductance in topological insulator (TI) ferromagnet/p-wave superconductor (FM/pS) junction is studied based on the Blonder–Tinkham–Klapwijk (BTK) theory. The Fermi energy mismatch between FM and pS as well as the finite quasiparticle lifetime are considered. Three kinds of pairings p_x, p_y, and p_x+ip_y-waves for pS are chosen. It is found that the spectrum strongly depend on the magnetic gap, the gate potential, the quasiparticle lifetime as well as the type of the pair potential symmetry. The pair potential symmetry drastically affects the formation of the zero-energy bound states dependent on the magneto effect or the Fermi energy mismatch effect. The finite quasiparticle lifetime effect can suppress the Andreev resonant scattering process at eV=Δ₀ and smear the dips in the conductance.     

拓扑绝缘基铁磁/铁磁超导隧道结的磁效应和塞曼效应(英文)

运用拓展的BTK理论研究了拓扑绝缘层上铁磁/铁磁超导隧道结的磁效应和塞曼效应,同时考虑了铁磁体和铁磁超导体之间的费米能级错配效应.研究发现:在该系统中塞曼效应和邻近效应可以共存;铁磁体和铁磁超导体之间的费米能级错配效应能够增强系统中发生在eV=Δ处的Andreev谐振散射过程和邻近效应.     

Bias Dependence in Spin-Polarized Tunneling of Ferromagnet/Ferromagnetic Insulator (Semiconductor)/Ferromagnet Junctions

Based on the nearly-free-electron approximation, the bias dependencies of electron transport properties of ferromagnet/ferromagnetic insulator (semiconductor)/ferromagnet junctions have been studied. Resonances appear in electron transmission probability. These resonances cause oscillations in the zero-temperature tunnel current and the resonances occur in tunnel conductance. Tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) is an oscillatory function of bias. The TMR can reach a value as high as 100%. The bins dependencies of electron transport properties relate to the magnetic configurations of the junctions.     

Spin-flip assisted tunneling through quantum dot based magnetic tunnel junctions

We theoretically study the spin-polarized transport through double barrier magnetic tunnel junction (DBMTJ) consisting of the quantum dot sandwiched by two ferromagnetic (FM) leads. The tunneling current through the DBMTJ is evaluated based on the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green’s function approach. The self-energy and Green’s function of the dot are analytically obtained via the equation of motion method, by systematically incorporating two spin-flip phenomena, namely, intra-dot spin-flip, and spin-flip coupling between the lead and the central dot region. The effects of both spin-flip processes on the spectral functions, tunneling current and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) are analyzed. The spin-flip effects result in spin mixing, thus contributing to the spectral function of the off-diagonal Green’s function components ( G_s[`(s)] ^r )\left( {G_{\sigma \bar \sigma }^r } \right). Interestingly, the spin-flip coupling between the lead and dot enhances both the tunneling current and the TMR for applied bias above the threshold voltage V _th . On the other hand, the intra-dot spin-flip results in an additional step in the I-V characteristics near V _th . Additionally, it suppresses the tunneling current but enhances the TMR. The opposing effects of the two types of spin-flip on the tunneling current means that one spin-flip mechanism can be engineered to counteract the other, so as to maintain the tunneling current without reducing the TMR. Their additive effect on the TMR enables the DBMTJ to attain a large tunneling current and high TMR for above threshold bias values.     

Ferromagnetic features of zero-bias conductance peaks in a ferromagnet/insulator/superconductor junction

We present a general formula for tunneling conductance in ballistic ferromagnet/ferromagnetic insulator/superconductor junctions where the superconducting state has the opposite spin pairing symmetry. The formula shows, correctly, that ferromagnetism has been induced by the effective mass difference between up- and down-spin electrons. This effectively mass mismatched ferromagnet and a standard Stoner ferromagnet have been employed in this paper. As an application of the formulation, we have studied the tunneling effect for junctions including a spin-triplet p-wave superconductor, where we choose a normal insulator for the insulating region, although our formula can be used for a ferromagnetic insulator. Then, we have been able to devote our attention to features of a ferromagnetic metal. The conductance spectra show a clear difference between the two ferromagnets depending upon the method of normalization of the conductance. In particular, an essential difference is seen in the zero-bias conductance peaks, reflecting the characteristics of each ferromagnet. From the obtained results, we suggest that the measurements of the tunneling conductance in the junction provide us with useful information about the mechanism of itinerant ferromagnetism in metals.     

Tunneling magnetoresistance of the double spin-filter junctions at nonzero bias

A recent theoretical estimation indicated that the NM/FI/FI/NM double spin-filter junction (DSFJ, here the NM and FI represent the nonmagnetic electrode and the ferromagnetic insulator (semiconductor) spacer, respectively) could have very high tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) at zero bias. To meet the requirement in research and application of the magnetoresistance devices, we have calculated the dependences of tunneling magnetoresistance of DSFJ on the bias (voltage), the thicknesses of ferromagnetic insulators (semiconductors) and the average barrier height. Our results show that except its very high value, the TMR of DSFJ does not decrease monotonously and rapidly with rising bias, but increase slowly at first and decrease then after having reached a maximum value. This feature is in distinct contrast to the ordinary magnetic tunnel junction FM/NI/FM (FM and NI denote the ferromagnetic electrode and the nonmagnetic insulator (semiconductor) spacer, respectively), and is of benefit to the use of DSFJ as a magnetoresistance device.