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Description:

The universal oscillation of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio as a function of the insulating barrier thickness in crystalline magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) is a long-standing unsolved problem in condensed matter physics. To explain this, we here introduce a superposition of wave functions with opposite spins and different Fermi momenta, based on the fact that spin-flip scattering near the interface provides a hybridization between majority- and minority-spin states. In a typical Fe/MgO/Fe MTJ, we solve the tunneling problem and show that the TMR ratio oscillates with a period of ~3Å by varying the MgO thickness, consistent with previous and present experimental observations.

Rights:

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International
  

Keyword: tunnel magnetoresistance, magnetic tunnel junction, quantum tunneling, spintronics, oscillation

Date published: 2025-06-09

Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)

Journal:

• Physical Review B (ISSN: 24699950) vol. 111 issue. 22 L220406

Funding:

• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 22H04966
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 23K03933
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 24H00408

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.111.l220406

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Updated at: 2025-06-12 16:30:26 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-06-12 16:25:27 +0900