Origin of inverse tunneling magnetoresistance in a symmetric junction revealed by delaminating the buried electronic interface Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Electrical properties of modern electronic devices are usually controlled by the physical and chemical structure of one or more buried material interfaces. Accessing these buried interfaces by energetic ion milling can destroy this structural information. We report a delamination technique that exposes pristine buried interfaces for x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. We use this technique to show that unusual inverse tunneling magnetoresistance in a nominally symmetric (Co,Fe)/AlOx/(Co,Fe) magnetic tunnel junction devices is attributable to subtle over-oxidation of the lower AlOx/CoFe interface. Ion-milling investigation of the same samples misleads by chemically reducing the signature Fe oxide species during milling.

published proceedings

  • APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS

author list (cited authors)

  • Yang, J. J., Xiang, H., Ji, C., Stickle, W. F., Stewart, D. R., Ohlberg, D., Williams, R. S., & Chang, Y. A.

citation count

  • 6

complete list of authors

  • Yang, J Joshua||Xiang, Hua||Ji, Chengxiang||Stickle, William F||Stewart, Duncan R||Ohlberg, Douglas AA||Williams, R Stanley||Chang, Y Austin

publication date

  • December 2009