Search

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), as the core storage unit of magneto resistive random-access memory, plays important role in the cutting-edge spintronics. In the MTJ devices, there are multiple internal magnetic/nonmagnetic heterojunction structures. The heterojunction always consists of magnetic metals and magnetic insulators or nonmagnetic metals. The interface of the heterojunction has certain physical effects that can affect the performance of MTJ devices. In the review, combined with the existing research results, the physical mechanism of magnetic/non-magnetic heterojunction interface coupling is discussed. The influence of the interface effect of the heterojunction on the performance of MTJ devices is studied. The optimization method is proposed specifically. This work systematically summarizes the interface effect of magnetic/non-magnetic heterojunction, which could be the critical aspect for the device's yield and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resonant tunneling (RT) originally refers to electron tunneling through the resonant states of double-barrier potentials with a series of sharply peaked transmission coefficients (close to unity) at certain energies. Electron RT can be used to design promising electronic devices such as RT diode. If the quantum well states are spin-dependent, the electron RT would exhibit spin-polarized or spin-selective properties, as observed in the double magnetic tunnel junctions with a thin intercalary ferromagnetic layer. As a result of the quantum wave–particle duality, RT can be further expanded to magnons—the quanta of spin waves, which opens up a new avenue of research—magnon RT. Because of the bosonic nature and macroscopic quantum coherence, the magnon RT may occur in a wide spectrum and temperature range (room temperature and above room temperature), while the electron RT typically occurs around the Fermi level and at low temperature or around room temperature. Here, we review the recent advances in RT physics of electron and magnon, and outline possible device implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that a magnetic tunnel junction injected with a spin Hall current can exhibit linear rotation of the magnetization of the free-ferromagnet using only the spin current. Using the linear resistance change of the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), we devise a circuit for the rectified linear activation (ReLU) function of the artificial neuron. We explore the role of different spin Hall effect (SHE) heavy metal (HM) layers on the power consumption of the ReLU circuit. We benchmark the power consumption of the ReLU circuit with different SHE layers by defining a new parameter called the spin Hall power factor. It combines the spin Hall angle, resistivity, and thickness of the HM layer, which translates to the power consumption of the different SHE layers during spin-orbit switching/rotation of the free FM. We employ a hybrid spintronics-CMOS simulation framework that couples Keldysh non-equilibrium Green's function formalism with Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert–Slonzewski equations and the HSPICE circuit simulator to account for the diverse physics of spin-transport and the CMOS elements in our proposed ReLU design. We also demonstrate the robustness of the proposed ReLU circuit against thermal noise and a non-trivial power-error trade-off that enables the use of an unstable free-ferromagnet for energy-efficient design. Using the proposed circuit, we evaluate the performance of the convolutional neural network for MNIST datasets and demonstrate comparable classification accuracies to the ideal ReLU with an energy consumption of 75 pJ per sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have designed a passive spintronic diode based on a single skyrmion stabilized in a magnetic tunnel junction and studied its dynamics induced by voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (VDMI). We have demonstrated that the sensitivity (rectified output voltage over input microwave power) with realistic physical parameters and geometry can be larger than 10 kV W−1 which is one order of magnitude larger than diodes employing a uniform ferromagnetic state. Our numerical and analytical results on the VCMA and VDMI-driven resonant excitation of skyrmions beyond the linear regime reveal a frequency dependence on the amplitude and no efficient parametric resonance. Skyrmions with a smaller radius produced higher sensitivities, demonstrating the efficient scalability of skyrmion-based spintronic diodes. These results pave the way for designing passive ultra-sensitive and energy efficient skyrmion-based microwave detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the wide selectivity of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric (FE) components, electric-field (E-field) control of magnetism via strain mediation can be easily realized through composite multiferroic heterostructures. Here, an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is chosen rationally as the ferromagnetic constitution and a high-activity (001)-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.7Ti0.3O3 (PMN-0.3PT) single crystal is selected as the FE component to create a multiferroic MTJ/FE hybrid structure. The shape of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) versus in situ E-fields imprints the butterfly loop of the piezo-strain of the FE without magnetic-field bias. The E-field-controlled change in the TMR ratio is up to â€"0.27% without magnetic-field bias. Moreover, when a typical magnetic field (∼ ±10 Oe) is applied along the minor axis of the MTJ, the butterfly loop is changed significantly by the E-fields relative to that without magnetic-field bias. This suggests that the E-field-controlled junction resistance is spin-dependent and correlated with magnetization switching in the free layer of the MTJ. In addition, based on such a multiferroic heterostructure, a strain-gauge factor up to approximately 40 is achieved, which decreases further with a sign change from positive to negative with increasing magnetic fields. This multiferroic hybrid structure is a promising avenue to control TMR through E-fields in low-power-consumption spintronic and straintronic devices at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new writing scheme with a unidirectional pulse current is proposed for spin transfer torque (STT) based magnetic random-access memory (MRAM). To investigate the feasibility of the writing scheme, bilayered nano-pillars composed of a soft layer with small in-plane shape anisotropy and a hard layer with either large perpendicular anisotropy (PMA) or in-plane anisotropy (IMA) are designed and their switching behaviors are studied. It is found that in either type of bilayered nano-pillars, with the aid of the attached hard layer, the magnetization of the soft layer can be switched back and forth under a unidirectional pulse current. In an IMA/IMA nano-pillar, the magnetization of the free layer (FL) can achieve excellent alignment, which is in contrast to the IMA/PMA nano-pillar. By optimizing the dimensions and magnetic parameters of the IMA/IMA nano-pillar, a decently low switching current density (4.3 × 1011 A mâˆ'2) and ultrashort switching time (<1 ns) can be reached. Based on these results, the unidirectional writing scheme is practical if an IMA/IMA bilayer is used to replace the FL in a magnetic tunnel junction. Considering that a unidirectional writing scheme can enable the application of materials with high spin polarization such as half metals, and avoid the injection of writing current into junction using a special design, it may be very promising for STT-MRAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of ultralow magnetic field requires magnetic sensors with high sensitivity and low noise level, especially for low operating frequency applications. We investigated the transport properties of tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors based on the double indirect exchange coupling effect. The TMR ratio of about 150% was obtained in the magnetic tunnel junctions and linear response to an in-plane magnetic field was successfully achieved. A high sensitivity of 1.85%/Oe was achieved due to a designed soft pinned sensing layer of CoFeB/NiFe/Ru/IrMn. Furthermore, the voltage output sensitivity and the noise level of 10.7 mV/V/Oe, 10 nT/Hz1/2 at 1 Hz and 3.3 nT/Hz1/2 at 10 Hz were achieved in Full Wheatstone Bridge configuration. This kind of magnetic sensors can be used in the field of smart grid for current detection and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the linearized Landau–Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation in the rotation coordinate, we calculate the critical switching current density of a perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), where magnetization switching is achieved by the interplay of spin-transfer and spin-orbit torques. In terms of the critical current density, we find that as the current density inducing the spin-orbit torque increases, the current density inducing the spin-transfer torque decreases nonlinearly. In the presence of the spin-orbit field-like torque (β), the critical switching current density by the spin-transfer torque is proportional to the damping constant (α) as the conventional spin-transfer torque switching, while the critical switching current density by the spin-orbit torque increases with when. We also investigated the β dependence of the critical switching current density. For a given , the critical switching current density for the spin-transfer torque, decreases linearly with increasing β and nonlinearly decreases with increasing for a given β. Further, we discuss the β dependence of the critical switching current density on energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report confinement bifurcations due to flux tunneling in magnetic islands in toroidal plasmas. This occurs in 2/1 islands, triggered by decoupling of non-overlapping adjacent 5/2 islands. While subject to electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD), the temperature at the 2/1 O-point is flat before but peaks after decoupling. This is shown to be due to a bifurcation from stochastic to nested magnetic structure, caused by the removal of flux tunneling through intersecting manifolds of overlapping heteroclinic tangles. 2/1 island stability correlates with coupling events in an ITER baseline scenario plasma where ECCD can not stabilize the coupled islands, showing the critical impact of flux tunneling on disruption avoidance in tokamaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternating gradient force magnetometry and Brillouin light scattering (BLS) experiments were exploited to investigate the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) localized at the CoFeB–MgO interface, both in Ta/CoFeB/MgO heterostructures (bottom samples) and in the inverted ones MgO/CoFeB/Ta (top samples). Thermal treatment was found to induce a marked increase of the PMA with respect to the as grown state. Using linear spin wave theory, an analysis of the spin wave frequencies was performed which allowed to estimate the thickness dependence of the PMA in the single CoFeB film. Magnetic tunnel junctions with the Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB/Ta structure were also studied by BLS. The analysis of the experimental results, performed via the linear spin wave theory, revealed that there is an antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling between the free and the fixed CoFeB layers which increases after the annealing procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate properties of perpendicular anisotropy magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs) with a stack structure MgO/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO as the free layer (or recording layer), and obtain the necessary device parameters from the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) vs. field loops and current-driven magnetization switching experiments. Based on the experimental results and device parameters, we further estimate current-driven switching performance of pMTJ including switching time and power, and their dependence on perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and damping constant of the free layer by SPICE-based circuit simulations. Our results show that the pMTJ cells exhibit a less than 1 ns switching time and write energies < 1.4 pJ; meanwhile the lower perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and damping constant can further reduce the switching time at the studied range of damping constant α < 0.1. Additionally, our results demonstrate that the pMTJs with the thermal stability factor ≃ 73 can be easily transformed into spin-torque nano-oscillators from magnetic memory as microwave sources or detectors for telecommunication devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of antiferromagnets (AFMs) has become one of the hotspots of spintronics because of their strong environmental adaptability; however, their magnetic ordering structure limits their practical application. The compensated ferrimagnet Mn3Al has the characteristics of an AFM and the magnetic moment can be controlled by a magnetic field. The successful synthesis of Mn3Al, which possesses a high Curie temperature (605 K), may lead to new applications in spintronics devices. In this work, the electronic structure of free Mn3Al (001) surfaces and the interface effects of the Mn3Al electrode and the GaAs tunnel barrier in the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) are investigated with the non-equilibrium Green's function method. Although redistribution of the partial density of states between the surface and bulk is observed for the two different types of Mn3Al surfaces, the half-metallicity is retained for both the surface structures. Due to the half-metallicity of the surfaces, the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of the MTJ reaches up to 107%. Moreover, the TMR dependence on the GaAs barrier thickness as well as the interface is studied. Through the visual display of the interface states, we find that the interface states can promote electron tunneling in the antiparallel configuration. The high TMR can be maintained at a small barrier width owing to the weak interface states. The results are explained with the transmission coefficient in reciprocal space. This work provides some physical insight for the design and implementation of Mn3Al-based MTJs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic field sensors using the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect require linear resistance–magnetic field (R–H) response curves with small hysteresis, for which the soft magnetic property of the free layer (FL) is critical. In this work, we investigated amorphous CoFeBTa (CFBT) as a soft magnetic layer of the FL of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB-based magnetic tunnel junctions in view of magnetic, TMR, and low-frequency noise properties. A two-step annealing process enabled an orthogonal magnetization configuration between the FL and the reference layer, by which linear R–H curves with small hysteresis were realized. The change in the shape of the R–H curve depending on annealing temperature is explained by the Stoner–Wohlfarth model. The highest TMR ratio of ∼160% and sensitivity of ∼70%/mT were obtained with a CFBT (20 nm)/Ta (0.3 nm)/CoFeB (3 nm) FL. The noise of the TMR devices are dominated by 1/f noise below ∼10 kHz in frequency, which limits the detectivity (D) of the magnetic field of the sensor. The sensor devices patterned to 50 µm diameter circular shapes showed a minimum D of ∼2 nT/ at 10 Hz, which is superior to the previously reported values for the TMR sensors with NiFe soft magnetic layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) materials such as CoFeB, Co, Pt, MgO, and the hard mask material such as W and TiN were etched with a reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) system using H2/NH3. By using gas mixtures of H2 and NH3, especially with the H2/NH3(2:1) ratio, higher etch rates of MTJ related materials and higher etch selectivities over mask materials (>30) could be observed compared to those etching using pure H2(no etching) and NH3. In addition, no significant chemical and physical damages were observed on etched magnetic materials surfaces and, for CoPt and MTJ nanoscale patterns etched by the H2/NH3(2:1) ion beam, highly anisotropic etch profiles >83° with no sidewall redeposition could be observed. The higher etch rates of magnetic materials such as CoFeB by the H2/NH3(2:1) ion beam compared to those by H2 ion beam or NH3 ion beam are believed to be related to the formation of volatile metal hydrides (MH, M = Co, Fe, etc) through the reduction of M-NHx(x = 1 ∼ 3) formed in the CoFeB surface by the exposure to NH3 ion beam. It is believed that the H2/NH3 RIBE is a suitable technique in the etching of MTJ materials for the next generation nanoscale spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stochastic neuromorphic computation (SNC) has the potential to enable a low power, error tolerant and scalable computing platform in comparison to its deterministic counterparts. However, the hardware implementation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-based stochastic circuits involves conversion blocks that cost more than the actual processing circuits. The realization of the activation function for SNCs also requires a complicated circuit that results in a significant amount of power dissipation and area overhead. The inherent probabilistic switching behavior of nanomagnets provides an advantage to overcome these complexity issues for the realization of low power and area efficient SNC systems. This paper presents magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)-based stochastic computing methodology for the implementation of a neural network. The stochastic switching behavior of the MTJ has been exploited to design a binary to stochastic converter to mitigate the complexity of the CMOS-based design. The paper also presents the technique for realizing stochastic sigmoid activation function using an MTJ. Such circuits are simpler than existing ones and use considerably less power. An image classification system employing the proposed circuits has been implemented to verify the effectiveness of the technique. The MTJ-based SNC system shows area and energy reduction by a factor of 13.5 and 2.5, respectively, while the prediction accuracy is 86.66%. Furthermore, this paper investigates how crucial parameters, such as stochastic bitstream length, number of hidden layers and number of nodes in a hidden layer, need to be set precisely to realize an efficient MTJ-based stochastic neural network (SNN). The proposed methodology can prove a promising alternative for highly efficient digital stochastic computing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the impact of Fe80B20 inserted at both Co20Fe60B20/MgO interfaces of dual-MgO free layers (FLs) in bottom-pinned magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). MTJ stacks are annealed for 30 min at 350 °C and 400 °C in a vacuum after film deposition. Current-in-plane tunneling measurements are carried out to characterize magnetotransport properties of the MTJs. Conventional magnetometry measurements and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) are conducted to estimate the saturation magnetization, the effective perpendicular anisotropy field and the Gilbert damping of dual-MgO FLs as a function of the Fe80B20 thickness and annealing temperatures. With ultrathin Fe80B20 (0.2–0.4 nm) inserted, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of FLs increases with similar tunnel magneto-resistance (TMR) and low damping values. As Fe80B20 layer thickness further increases (0.6–1.2 nm), both TMR and PMA degrade, and damping increases dramatically. This study demonstrates a novel approach to tune properties of MTJ stacks with dual-MgO FLs up to 400 °C annealing, which enables MTJ stacks for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of 400 keV Ar+ irradiation on the magnetic and electrical properties of in-plane magnetized magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks was investigated by ferromagnetic resonance, vibrating sample magnetometry and current-in-plane tunneling techniques. The ion fluences ranged from to. Below , the anisotropy of the Ta-capped FeCoB free layer was weakly modulated, following a decrease in the saturation magnetization. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR), along with the exchange-bias and the interlayer exchange coupling providing a stable magnetic configuration to the reference layer, decreased continuously. Above , a strong decrease in the saturation magnetization was accompanied by a loss of the magnetic coupling and of the TMR. We show there is an ion-fluence window where the modulation of magnetic anisotropy can occur while preserving a large TMR and stable magnetic configuration of the MTJ, and demonstrate that the layers surrounding the free layer play a decisive role in determining the trend of the magnetic anisotropy modulation resulting from the irradiation. Our results provide guidance for the tailoring of MTJ parameters via ion irradiation, which we propose as a potentially suitable technique for setting the magnetic easy-cone state in MTJ for attaining field-free, fast, and non-stochastic magnetization switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The all-optical magnetization reversal of magnetic layers, by picosecond optical pulses, is of particular interest as it shows the potential for energy-efficient and fast magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) elements. This approach requires memory elements that are optically and electronically accessible, for optical writing and electronic read-out. In this paper, we propose the integration of indium tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent conducting electrode for magnetic tunnel junctions in integrated spintronic–photonic circuits. To provide light with sufficient energy to the MTJ free layer and allow electrical read-out of the MTJ state, we successfully integrated indium tin oxide as a top transparent electrode. The study shows that ITO film deposition by physical vapor deposition with conditions such as high source power and low O2 flow achieves smooth and conductive thin films. Increase in grain size was associated with low resistivity. Deposition of 150 nm ITO at 300 W, O2 flow of 1 sccm and 8.10−3 mbar vacuum pressure results in 4.8 × 10−4 Ω.cm resistivity and up to 80% transmittance at 800 nm wavelength. The patterning of ITO using CH4/H2 chemistry in a reactive ion etch process was investigated showing almost vertical sidewalls for diameters down to 50 nm. The ITO based process flow was compared to a standard magnetic tunnel junctions fabrication process flow based on Ta hard mask. Electrical measurements validate that the proposed process based on ITO results in properties equivalent to the standard process. We also show electrical results of magnetic tunnel junctions having all-optical switching top electrode fabricated with ITO for optical access. The developed ITO process flow shows very promising initial results and provides a way to fabricate these new devices to integrate all-optical switching magnetic tunnel junctions with electronic and photonic elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study how to apply a periodic driving field to control stable spin tunneling in a non-Hermitian spin–orbit (SO) coupled bosonic double-well system. By means of a high-frequency approximation, we obtain the analytical Floquet solutions and their associated quasienergies and thus construct the general non-Floquet solutions of the dissipative SO coupled bosonic system. Based on detailed analysis of the Floquet quasienergy spectrum, the profound effect of system parameters and the periodic driving field on the stability of spin-dependent tunneling is investigated analytically and numerically for both balanced and unbalanced gain–loss between two wells. Under balanced gain and loss, we find that the stable spin-flipping tunneling is preferentially suppressed with the increase of gain–loss strength. When the ratio of Zeeman field strength to periodic driving frequency Ω/ω is even, there is a possibility that continuous stable parameter regions will exist. When Ω/ω is odd, nevertheless, only discrete stable parameter regions are found. Under unbalanced gain and loss, whether Ω/ω is even or odd, we can get parametric equilibrium conditions for the existence of stable spin tunneling. The results could be useful for the experiments of controlling stable spin transportation in a non-Hermitian SO coupled system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-transfer torque (STT) applications in magnetization switching such as magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have been of popular interest in the development of novel memory technologies. However, the high switching power associated with these is a critical disadvantage in the operation of typical magnesium oxide (MgO)-based STT-MTJs. In this study, an ultra-low switching power, only 10% of the MgO-based MTJs, is achieved by high-purity spin polarization current using a superlattice-barrier MTJ with half-metallic magnets. The resistance-area product of the device is reduced to 0.2 Ω μm2, which is less than 10% of that in traditional MgO-based MTJs. The proposed MTJ has a higher performance, including STT and required switching current. A decrease in the switching power could avoid not only the disadvantages of power dissipation but also the device endurance due to lower Joule heating in the proposed MTJs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin transfer torque magnetic random-access memory is widely considered as a promising candidate for a next generation cache, with a core device of magnetic tunnel junction. The MgO/CoFeB/W/CoFeB/MgO structure as recording layer for magnetic tunnel junctions is of great interest due to features such as strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and thermal stability. However, the origin of correlation between PMA and interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) in this structure remains unclear. In this paper, we investigate the PMA and IEC in the MgO/CoFe/W/CoFe/MgO structure with first-principles calculation. IEC with long and short period oscillations is observed, which results in much different magnetic anisotropy energies at CoFe/W interface in MgO/CoFe/W/CoFe/MgO structure compared to MgO/CoFe/W structure. Furthermore, we find an oscillation of magnetic anisotropy energies in ferromagnetically coupled MgO/CoFe/W/CoFe/MgO structure. According to k-space and band-decomposed charge-density analyses, this oscillation can be elucidated with quantum well states on spin-up states near Fermi energy within W layers. Thus, the correlation between PMA and IEC is explained by quantum well states. These findings provide comprehensive understanding of PMA and IEC in double-interface structures and pave a new way to modulate PMA with quantum well states in heavy metal layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateral inhibition is an important functionality in neuromorphic computing, modeled after the biological neuron behavior that a firing neuron deactivates its neighbors belonging to the same layer and prevents them from firing. In most neuromorphic hardware platforms lateral inhibition is implemented by external circuitry, thereby decreasing the energy efficiency and increasing the area overhead of such systems. Recently, the domain wall—magnetic tunnel junction (DW-MTJ) artificial neuron is demonstrated in modeling to be intrinsically inhibitory. Without peripheral circuitry, lateral inhibition in DW-MTJ neurons results from magnetostatic interaction between neighboring neuron cells. However, the lateral inhibition mechanism in DW-MTJ neurons has not been studied thoroughly, leading to weak inhibition only in very closely-spaced devices. This work approaches these problems by modeling current- and field- driven DW motion in a pair of adjacent DW-MTJ neurons. We maximize the magnitude of lateral inhibition by tuning the magnetic interaction between the neurons. The results are explained by current-driven DW velocity characteristics in response to an external magnetic field and quantified by an analytical model. Dependence of lateral inhibition strength on device parameters is also studied. Finally, lateral inhibition behavior in an array of 1000 DW-MTJ neurons is demonstrated. Our results provide a guideline for the optimization of lateral inhibition implementation in DW-MTJ neurons. With strong lateral inhibition achieved, a path towards competitive learning algorithms such as the winner-take-all are made possible on such neuromorphic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a p24 (HIV disease biomarker) detection assay using an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensor and 20-nm magnetic nanoparticles. The MTJ array sensor with sensing area of 890 × 890 μm2 possessing a sensitivity of 1.39 %/Oe was used to detect p24 antigens. It is demonstrated that the p24 antigens could be detected at a concentration of 0.01 μg/ml. The development of bio-detection systems based on magnetic tunnel junction sensors with high-sensitivity will greatly benefit the early diagnosis of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, several classes of magneto-electric devices, and their possible implementations as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) replacements, are discussed. We consider how these devices can provide considerable improvements in functionality over CMOS when employed in novel circuit architectures. In the context of the magneto-electric device technologies discussed here, we detail the expansion of benchmarking into some of the newer beyond-CMOS technologies. This has required circuit level simulations, using Cadence Spectre or Spice, and Verilog-A based models of the magneto-electric magnetic tunnel junction devices have been used for circuit validation. This has been done as part of a global effort to develop comparative benchmarking standards across logic families, even as new benchmarking methodologies are being developed, while maintaining the familiar CMOS benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin transfer nano-oscillators (STNOs) are a new type of radio frequency (RF) oscillators that utilize the current-induced magnetization precession in a magnetic tunnel junction device to generate high frequency microwave signal. Since both the frequency and the amplitude of STNOs can be tuned by changing the current, they are potentially used for amplitude shift keying and frequency shift keying modulation without the need for an RF mixer, which leads to compact RF components. In this letter, a novel strategy is proposed to modulate the frequency and the amplitude by memristor-controlled spin nano-oscillators, whereby the STNO is responsible for microwave emitting and memristor serves as a current regulator which further modulates the frequency and amplitude. In addition, the I–V curves show that a multilevel resistance behavior can also be achieved in the same architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic crystals have attracted great attention due to their emerging new physical phenomena. They provide ideal platforms to study the fundamental physics of magnetism in low dimensions. In this research, magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) based on XSe2 (X=Mn, V) with room-temperature ferromagnetism were studied using first-principles calculations. A large tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of 725.07% was obtained in the MTJs based on monolayer MnSe2. Several schemes were proposed to improve the TMR of these devices. Moreover, the results of our non-equilibrium transport calculations showed that the large TMR was maintained in these devices under a finite bias. The transmission spectrum was analyzed according to the orbital components and the electronic structure of the monolayer XSe2 (X=Mn, V). The results in this paper demonstrated that the MTJs based on a 2D ferromagnet with room-temperature ferromagnetism exhibited reliable performance. Therefore, such devices show the possibility for potential applications in spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology is facing increasingly difficult obstacles such as power consumption and interconnection delay. Novel hybrid technologies and architectures are being investigated with the aim to circumvent some of these limits. In particular, hybrid CMOS/magnetic technology based on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is considered as a very promising approach thanks to the full compatibility of MTJs with CMOS technology. By tightly merging the conventional electronics with magnetism, both logic and memory functions can be implemented in the same device. As a result, non-volatility is directly brought into logic circuits, yielding significant improvement of device performances and new functionalities as well. We have conceived an innovative methodology to construct non-volatile magnetic arithmetic logic units (MALUs) combining spin-transfer torque MTJs with MOS transistors. The present 4-bit MALU utilizes 4 MTJ pairs to store its operation code (opcode). Its operations and performances have been confirmed and evaluated through electrical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe3−δO4/MgO/Co magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are synthesized on top of ∼1 inch Si/SiO2 substrates by conducting a full in situ chemical vapour and atomic layer deposition process with no vacuum break. Tunnel magnetoresistance up to 6% is measured at room temperature, increasing to 12.5% at 120 K. Our results demonstrate the possibility of using full-chemical processes to synthesize functional MTJs, and this could provide a path towards the use of cost-effective methods to produce magnetic devices on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the room temperature magnetoresistance in Sr2FeMoO6 based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The micrometre-sized (SFMO/STO/SFMO) devices were grown by pulse laser deposition. The crystal structure and phase purity of SFMO layers were examined by X-ray diffraction, which shows the single phase formation of ordered polycrystalline SFMO thin film without any impurity phases. The FESEM micrograph clearly shows the presence of an ultrathin STO barrier layer. The magnetization measurements show the good ferromagnetic loop behaviour and Curie temperature (TC) well above 375 K, which indicate fairly high-quality growth of SFMO thin films. The current–voltage curve of the MTJ devices at room temperature exhibited nonlinear and asymmetric behaviour in agreement with the predictions of tunnel conductance. The observed large tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR ∼ 7%) at room temperature was attributed to spin-dependent tunnelling across a uniform ultrathin STO tunnel barrier sandwiched between two identical SFMO (bottom and top) electrodes in MTJ devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial growth of electrodes and tunnel barriers on graphene is one of the main technological bottlenecks for graphene spintronics. In this paper, we demonstrate that MgO(111) epitaxial tunnel barriers, one of the prime candidates for spintronic application, can be grown by molecular beam epitaxy on epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001). Ferromagnetic metals (Fe, Co, Fe20Ni80) were epitaxially grown on top of the MgO barrier, thus leading to monocrystalline electrodes on graphene. Structural and magnetic characterizations were performed on these ferromagnetic metals after annealing and dewetting: they form clusters with a 100 nm typical lateral width, which are mostly magnetic monodomains in the case of Fe. This epitaxial stack opens the way to graphene spintronic devices taking benefits from a coherent tunnelling current through the epitaxial MgO/graphene stack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the spin-dependent electronic properties of the interface formed between epitaxial Co thin films deposited on Cu(001) and the experimental molecule tris-(9-oxidophenalenone)-aluminum(III) (Al(OP)3), created as a variation of the prototypical organic semiconductor Alq3 to tailor the spin filtering properties by modifying chemisorption with cobalt. The interfaces have been grown under ultra-high vacuum conditions by progressive deposition of 0.5–5 nm Al(OP)3 on the freshly prepared cobalt substrate. For every growth step we have monitored the energy level alignment at the interface as well as the spin polarization of the occupied manifold by spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We identify two hybrid interface states in the energy window of 2 eV below the Fermi energy. The first is at 0.9 eV below EF and shows an 8% higher spin polarization than Co, while the second is at 1.6 eV below EF and shows a spin polarization reduced by 4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-dependent optical potentials allow us to use microwave radiation to manipulate the motional state of trapped neutral atoms (Forster et al 2009 Phys. Rev. Lett. 103 233001). Here, we discuss this method in greater detail, comparing it to the widely employed Raman sideband coupling method. We provide a simplified model for sideband cooling in a spin-dependent potential, and we discuss it in terms of the generalized Lamb-Dicke parameter. Using a master equation formalism, we present a quantitative analysis of the cooling performance for our experiment, which can be generalized to other experimental settings. We additionally use microwave sideband transitions to engineer motional Fock states and coherent states, and we devise a technique for measuring the population distribution of the prepared states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an alternative method of spin-transfer-induced magnetization switching for magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) using a conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM) with pulsed current. The nominal MTJ cells' dimensions were 200 x 400 nm-2. The AFM probes were coated with a Pt layer via sputtering to withstand up to several milliamperes. The pulsed current measurements, with pulse duration varying from 5 to 300ms, revealed a magnetoresistance ratio of up to 120%, and an estimated intrinsic switching current density, based on the thermal activation model, of 3.94MAcm-2. This method demonstrates the potential skill to characterize nanometre-scale magnetic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect and the bias voltage dependence of tunnelling conductance spectra were measured in L10 Mn-Ga/Fe/MgO/CoFe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The TMR ratio and bias-voltage dependences on annealing conditions and Fe-layer thickness were investigated. The TMR ratio showed an increase subsequent to Fe-layer deposition under the optimum annealing condition, and a maximum value of 24% was achieved in an MTJ with a perpendicularly magnetized Fe layer of thickness of 1.1 nm at room temperature; this corresponded to a 57% TMR ratio in the case of completely antiparallel magnetization configuration. In the tunnelling conductance spectra, an anomalous dip, the so-called zero-bias anomaly, was observed for all the samples. The zero-bias anomaly is speculated to have appeared because of an increase in magnon excitation at the magnetic layer/barrier interfaces according to the model by Zhang et al (1997 Phys. Rev. Lett. 79 3744). In our experiments magnitude of the zero-bias anomaly depended on both the annealing condition and the Fe-layer thickness. We discuss our observation of the variation in the Curie temperature of the magnetic layer at the barrier layer interface depending on the the preparation conditions of the Fe insertion layer, which caused the change in the magnitude of the zero-bias anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have shown for the first time that the magnetometry on the free layer of fully perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJ) can be used to optimize the annealing conditions, and, subsequently, the transport properties of these devices. pMTJ stacks with Co/Pd multilayer (ML) synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF)-based pinned layer and thin Co31.5Fe58.5B10 free layer were patterned into devices and then rapid thermally annealed (RTA) in high vacuum at temperatures ranging from 350 to 500 ?C. The soaking time at these RTA temperatures ranged from 3 to 12 min. Under annealing condition of 500 ?C for 8 min yielded a tunnelling magnetoresistance (TMR) of 50% at a transport measurement temperature of 300K and 59% at 4.2 K. Further increase in annealing time to 12 min degraded the TMR at all temperatures tested. Analysis of the minor M-H loops of the free layer of these devices showed a clear transition from partially perpendicular to fully perpendicular to in-plane anisotropy as the annealing time was increased at each temperature. These minor loops correlate strongly with the transport measurements, indicating that the optimization of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the free layer by annealing leads to optimized TMR as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spintronic devices can be operated by either a magnetic field or a spin polarized current; however, the former is not site-specific, and the latter suffers from large current density issues. In this work, we show that voltage-controlled spintronic devices offer many attributes. Although a metallic ferromagnet responds only very weakly to an electric field if at all, under special circumstances an electric field can have a profound impact on its magnetic properties. An electric field can alter the interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) in a prescribed manner. By exploiting the voltage dependence of the PMA we have accomplished voltage-controlled MTJ for which the high- and low-resistance states can be accessed reversibly and repeatedly by voltage pulses associated with very low current density in the range of 104 Acm-2. This development opens up a new avenue to achieve ultra-low power consumption and ultra-fast operation in next-generation spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for novel low-dissipation devices is one of the most critical for the future of semiconductor technology and nano-systems. The development of a low-power, universal memory will enable a new paradigm of non-volatile computation. Here we consider STT-RAM as one of the emerging candidates for low-power non-volatile memory. We show different configurations for STT memory and demonstrate strategies to optimize key performance parameters such as switching current and energy. The energy and scaling limits of STT-RAM are discussed, leading us to argue that alternative writing mechanisms may be required to achieve ultralow power dissipation, a necessary condition for direct integration with CMOS at the gate level for non-volatile logic purposes. As an example, we discuss the use of the giant spin Hall effect as a possible alternative to induce magnetization reversal in magnetic tunnel junctions using pure spin currents. Further, we concentrate on magnetoelectric effects, where electric fields are used instead of spin-polarized currents to manipulate the nanomagnets, as another candidate solution to address the challenges of energy efficiency and density. The possibility of an electric-field-controlled magnetoelectric RAM as a promising candidate for ultralow-power non-volatile memory is discussed in the light of experimental data demonstrating voltage-induced switching of the magnetization and reorientation of the magnetic easy axis by electric fields in nanomagnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-volatile spin–orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) is a very attractive memory technology for near future computers because it has various advantages such as non-volatility, high density and scalability. In the present work we propose a model of a graphene recording device for the SOT-MRAM unit cell, consisting of a quasi-freestanding graphene intercalated with Au and an ultra-thin Pt layer sandwiched between graphene and a magnetic tunnel junction. As a result of using the claimed graphene recording memory element, a faster operation and lower energy consumption will be achieved under the recording information by reducing the electric current required to record. The efficiency of the graphene recording element was confirmed by the experimental results and the theoretical estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energy-efficient voltage-controlled domain wall (DW) device for implementing an artificial neuron and synapse is analyzed using micromagnetic modeling in the presence of room temperature thermal noise. By controlling the DW motion utilizing spin transfer or spin–orbit torques in association with voltage generated strain control of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, different positions of the DW are realized in the free layer of a magnetic tunnel junction to program different synaptic weights. The feasibility of scaling of such devices is assessed in the presence of thermal perturbations that compromise controllability. Additionally, an artificial neuron can be realized by combining this DW device with a CMOS buffer. This provides a possible pathway to realize energy-efficient voltage-controlled nanomagnetic deep neural networks that can learn in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferromagnetic metal/oxide heterostructures with tunable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and large tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) are building blocks of spintronic devices. With unprecedented high performance, the perpendicularly magnetized CoFeB/MgO system has been extensively investigated. Here, we report that Mo/FeNiB/MgO and its inverted structure MgO/FeNiB/Mo show large interfacial PMA with high thermal stability, it ensures spontaneous perpendicular magnetization with effective PMA field of about 5 kOe in Mo/FeNiB(1.2 nm)/MgO and MgO/FeNiB(1.5 nm)/Mo after annealing at 400 °C, comparable to the CoFeB/MgO system. Remarkably, the coercivity of perpendicularly magnetized FeNiB layers in either continuous film or patterned structure of micrometers is smaller than that of the CoFeB counterpart by an order. We have fabricated perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with pseudo-spin valve structure Mo/FeNiB/MgO/CoFeB/Mo, which show TMR of 113% at room temperature and 221% at 5K. These results suggest that Mo/FeNiB/MgO heterostructure can be an important PMA material candidate in exploiting next-generation spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spintronic theory is developed to study the effect of lattice distortion on the magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) consisting of single-crystal barrier and half-metallic electrodes. In the theory, the lattice distortion is described by strain, defect concentration and recovery temperature. All three parameters will modify the periodic scattering potential, and further alter the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). The theoretical results show that: (1) the TMR oscillates with all the three parameters; (2) the strain can change the TMR about 30%; (3) the defect concentration will strongly modify the periodic scattering potential, and further change the TMR about 50%; and (4) the recovery temperature has little effect on the periodic scattering potential, and only can change the TMR about 10%. The present work may provide a theoretical foundation to the application of lattice distortion for MTJs consisting of single-crystal barrier and half-metallic electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic stray field is an unavoidable consequence of ferromagnetic devices and sensors leading to a natural asymmetry in magnetic properties. Such asymmetry is particularly undesirable for magnetic random access memory applications where the free layer (FL) can exhibit bias. Using atomistic dipole–dipole calculations we numerically simulate the stray magnetic field emanating from the magnetic layers of a magnetic memory device with different geometries. We find that edge effects dominate the overall stray magnetic field in patterned devices and that a conventional synthetic antiferromagnet structure is only partially able to compensate the field at the FL position. A granular reference layer is seen to provide near-field flux closure while additional patterning defects add significant complexity to the stray field in nanoscale devices. Finally we find that the stray field from a nanoscale antiferromagnet is surprisingly non-zero arising from the imperfect cancellation of magnetic sublattices due to edge defects. Our findings provide an outline of the role of different layer structures and defects in the effective stray magnetic field in nanoscale magnetic random access memory devices and demonstrate that atomistic calculations provide a useful tool to study the stray field effects arising from a wide range of defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare structural and transport properties of Co2FeAl (CFA)/MgAl2O4 (MAO)/CoFe magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with and without a 1 nm thick CoFe insertion layer. While the two MTJs show a large difference in resistance area (RA) product, there is no significant difference in their stacked structures such as the thickness of an MAO barrier. Temperature (T) dependence of tunneling conductance (GP and GAP for parallel and antiparallel configurations, respectively) was investigated for the two MTJs, as well as their tunnel magnetoresistance that exceeds 200%. The most striking feature of the temperature dependence is that non-monotonic change appeared by inserting the CoFe layer, i.e. negative dGP/dT emerged only in the CFA/1 nm CoFe/MAO/CoFe MTJ. The observed results of GP and GAP were analyzed in a model proposed by Hu et al (2016 Phys. Rev. B 94, 094428), in which elastic (spin-conserved) and inelastic (spin-flip scattering) terms were considered. We found that the non-monotonic change observed in T dependence of GP is associated with dominance of the elastic tunneling term. This study demonstrated that the model analysis of T dependence of GP can give insight into the microscopic transport mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using density functional theory (DFT) within the non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) formalism, we studied the spin transport through a binuclear ferric phthalocyanine (Fe2Pc2) connected to gold nanowire electrodes. The Fe2Pc2 molecular devices exhibited a perfect spin filtering effect and larger magnetoresistance ratio even where magnetic electrodes did not exist. The spin-polarized transport comes from the magnetic proximity to the central Fe atoms at the center of each phthalocyanine causing the molecule to develop a finite magnetic character. Compared with traditional magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), the spin transport of the proposed molecular junction can be tuned only by altering the magnetization orientation of the Fe atom at the center of the molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory and computing applications utilizing voltage-controlled magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) require perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (pMTJs) capable of high thermal stability and large write efficiency at advanced technology nodes. We first discuss the scaling requirements for voltage-controlled MRAM to replace various existing memory applications at an advanced CMOS technology node, including cell size, thermal stability, interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), and voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA). For replacing volatile memories including SRAM, eDRAM, and DRAM, we employ the retention relaxation technique along with a DRAM-style refresh scheme in the analysis. To enhance both PMA and VCMA at scaled nodes, we explore pMTJs with asymmetric double MgO barriers sandwiching a synthetic ferromagnet (SyF) free layer. In a thin MgO/SyF free layer/thick MgO/fixed layer MTJ stack, the SyF free layer is realized in various ways: single layer (X  =  Ta, W, Mo, Ir) and bilayers (X  =  Ta/W, Mo/Ir) of heavy metals insertions in CoFeB/X/CoFeB and Co2FeAl/X/Co2FeAl structures, and multiple insertions in [CoFeB/X]n/CoFeB structures for n  =  1–4. A VCMA coefficient of 36 fJ (V m)−1 is achieved in a MgO/CoFeB/Ta/CoFeB/MgO-based MTJ which is comparable to that of the single MgO barrier MTJ. We find PMA enhancement, although with VCMA reduction for an increasing number n of [CoFeB/X]n repetitions. In addition, we demonstrate large TMR of 78%, large interfacial PMA of 1.45 mJ m−2, and VCMA of 65 fJ (V m)−1 in a MgO/Co2FeAl/W/Co2FeAl/MgO-based MTJ annealed above 400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a new non-destructive sub-surface interfacial imaging technique. By controlling the penetration depth of the incident electrons, through control of the electron beam acceleration voltage in a scanning electron microscope, we can observe sub-surface interfaces. The voltages for imaging are selected based on Monte Carlo electron flight simulations, where the two voltages have  >5% difference between the number of backscattered electrons generated in the layers above and below the buried interface under investigation. Due to the non-destructive nature, this imaging method can be used alongside an applied electrical current and voltage, allowing concurrent observations of the interfacial structures and transport properties, e.g. effective and active junction area, to occur. Magnetic tunnel junctions used in magnetic random access memory have been imaged and the data has been fed back to improve their fabrication processes. Our imaging method is therefore highly useful as both a quality assurance and development tool for magnetic memory and nanoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloys (EQHAs) have received more and more attention in spintronic applications due to the half-metallicity and the long spin diffusion length. Recently, nearly half-metallicity (nearly 100% electronic spin polarization) and high Curie temperature (above 583 K) have been found in the equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloy of NiCoMnAl. In order to explore the potential spintronic applications, in this work, we design the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) of NiCoMnAl/InP/NiCoMnAl(0 0 1), and theoretically investigate the spin transport properties. It is shown that the MTJ exhibits a spin filtering effect and a high tunnel magnetoresistance ratio (up to 1.4  ×  107%) when a bias voltage is applied to the electrodes of NiCoMnAl. Interestingly, without a bias voltage, a temperature difference can also drive the spin filtering effect. These versatile transport properties are discussed in terms of the half-metallicity of electrode, the spin-polarized transmission spectrum, and the difference of Fermi–Dirac distribution. The present work indicates promising applications for NiCoMnAl in spintronic devices and spin caloritronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of perpendicular shape anisotropy spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memory (PSA-STT-MRAM) consists of significantly increasing the thickness of the storage layer in STT-MRAM to values comparable to the cell diameter so as to induce a perpendicular shape anisotropy in this layer. This robust source of bulk anisotropy allows us to extend the downsize scalability of STT-MRAM towards a sub-10 nm technological node. However, due to the high aspect ratio of the patterned magnetic tunnel junction pillars, some of them may fall during the etching process or become tilted. To interpret the magnetoresistance loops measured on these PSA-STT-MRAM cells, it is important to know the exact direction of the applied field with respect to the pillar axis. We present here an experimental procedure based on 3D Stoner Wohlfarth astroid analysis which allows us to determine the pillar tilt angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all the solar cells created so far have been based on electronic charge. This paper reports a photovoltaic effect based on the spin property of electrons. This spin-based photovoltaic effect was observed on magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD). MTJMSDs were produced by covalently bonding organometallic molecular clusters (OMCs) between the top and bottom ferromagnetic electrodes of Co/NiFe/AlOx/NiFe magnetic tunnel junctions along the exposed side edges. The MTJMSD configuration, which showed the photovoltaic effect, also exhibited OMC induced strong antiferromagnetic coupling (Tyagi et al 2015 Nanotechnology26 305602) and room temperature current suppression (Tyagi et al 2019 Org. Electron. 64 188–194). Our MTJMSD were fabricated below 100 °C temperature and employed earth-abundant transition metals like nickel and iron. This paper shows that the MTJMSD's photovoltaic effect was susceptible to the magnetic field, temperature, and light intensity. The solar cell efficiency was estimated to be ∼3%. Our MTJMSD approach provides a mass-producible platform for harvesting solar energy and opens a myriad of opportunities to incorporate photogenerated charges for the logic and memory operation in the molecular spintronics devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We deposit 30 nm thick Cr2MnSb films on a MgO(0 0 1) substrate by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction reveals that the annealing promotes the crystallization of Cr2MnSb from amorphous at as-deposited state to partially crystallized phase, and that the crystallinity improves by raising the annealing temperature. The crystallized phase exhibits full B2 and partial L21 ordering after the annealing above 300 °C. The magnetic and magneto-transport properties reveal that the annealed Cr2MnSb shows magnetic ordering up to ~350 K with small magnetic moment, 0.3µB/formula unit for the sample annealed at 300 °C. We adopt Cr2MnSb as one of the electrodes in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), and observe the switching of junction resistance, when the magnetization direction is reversed by sweeping an external magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]