Symmetry of Wavefunction at the Interface of Fe/MgO Magnetic Tunneling Junction.

We measured the anisotropy of Magnetic Compton profiles (MCP) in the Fe/MgO multilayers and compared it with band structure calculations. At the Fe/MgO interface, the |m| = 1 state in the minority band is suppressed, which in turn promotes the spin-polarized occupation of the |m| = 1 state. At the Fe/FeO interface of intentionally oxidized Fe/MgO multilayers, the occupations of the magnetic quantum number are almost equal (spherical) in the majority band and minority band, and therefore, the spin-polarization occupancy is also almost equal (spherical). These results contribute to the material design for MTJs as high-performance spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]