E. Urbain, Charles-Henri Lambert, Martin Bowen, Olivia Zill, Michel Hehn, Daniel Lacour, Anant Dixit, Samy Boukari, Loïc Joly, Sébastien Petit-Watelot, Pierre André Guitard, Michał Studniarek, Abbass Hamadeh, Marie Hervé, Jacek Arabski, Eric Beaurepaire, Philippe Ohresser, Wulf Wulfhekel, Wolfgang Weber, Fadi Choueikani, F. Schleicher, Guy Schmerber, Elmer Monteblanco, Fabrice Scheurer, Edwige Otero, Beata Taudul, François Montaigne, Mebarek Alouani, Manuel Acosta, Ufuk Halisdemir, Victor Da Costa, Florian Leduc, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et nanosciences d'Alsace (FMNGE), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Institut Jean Lamour (IJL), Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Service de physique de l'état condensé (SPEC - UMR3680), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Louis Pasteur - Strasbourg I-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Facultad de CC Economicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Cádiz (UCA), Dispositifs et Instrumentation en Optoélectronique et micro-ondes (DIOM), Université Jean Monnet [Saint-Étienne] (UJM), Synchrotron SOLEIL (SSOLEIL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik (MPI-HALLE), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Information, Documentation and Communication, State Institute for Schools, Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et nanosciences d'Alsace, Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Matériaux et Nanosciences Grand-Est (MNGE), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Réseau nanophotonique et optique, Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM), and Université de Lorraine (UL)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
International audience; Devices studies are often augmented by separately conducted materials science studies to achieve better insight into device operation [1–4]. In one such materials science technique called X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), the energy of soft X-ray photons is tuned so as to drive core level excitations of a specific atomic species within the sample (see Figure 1a). The resulting absorption spectrum yields information on the quantity and charge state of these atoms present, on their chemical environment and their resulting electronic/magnetic properties. When applied using the brilliance of a synchrotron facility, this technique is sensitive to minute populations of atoms, even when buried within a heterostructure. Resolving the properties of these atoms within a device built from this heterostruc-ture is in turn interpreted as providing insight into the device's performance. [2,5] As an important refinement, operando studies [6–12] alter the device's state (e.g., Materials science and device studies have, when implemented jointly as " operando " studies, better revealed the causal link between the properties of the device's materials and its operation, with applications ranging from gas sensing to information and energy technologies. Here, as a further step that maximizes this causal link, the paper focuses on the electronic properties of those atoms that drive a device's operation by using it to read out the materials property. It is demonstrated how this method can reveal insight into the operation of a macroscale, industrial-grade microelectronic device on the atomic level. A magnetic tunnel junction's (MTJ's) current, which involves charge transport across different atomic species and interfaces, is measured while these atoms absorb soft X-rays with synchrotron-grade brilliance. X-ray absorption is found to affect magnetotransport when the photon energy and linear polarization are tuned to excite FeO bonds parallel to the MTJ's interfaces. This explicit link between the device's spintronic performance and these FeO bonds, although predicted, challenges conventional wisdom on their detrimental spintronic impact. The technique opens interdisciplinary possibilities to directly probe the role of different atomic species on device operation, and shall considerably simplify the materials science iterations within device research.