Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
Nat Mater. 2011 May;10(5):347-51. doi: 10.1038/nmat2983. Epub 2011 Mar 13.
A spin valve is a microelectronic device in which high- and low-resistance states are realized by using both the charge and spin of carriers. Spin-valve structures used in modern hard-drive read heads and magnetic random access memoriescomprise two ferromagnetic electrodes whose relative magnetization orientations can be switched between parallel and antiparallel configurations, yielding the desired giant or tunnelling magnetoresistance effect. Here we demonstrate more than 100% spin-valve-like signal in a NiFe/IrMn/MgO/Pt stack with an antiferromagnet on one side and a non-magnetic metal on the other side of the tunnel barrier. Ferromagneticmoments in NiFe are reversed by external fields of approximately 50 mT or less, and the exchange-spring effect of NiFe on IrMn induces rotation of antiferromagnetic moments in IrMn, which is detected by the measured tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance. Our work demonstrates a spintronic element whose transport characteristics are governed by an antiferromagnet. It demonstrates that sensitivity to low magnetic fields can be combined with large, spin-orbit-coupling-induced magnetotransport anisotropy using a single magnetic electrode. The antiferromagnetic tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance provides a means to study magnetic characteristics of antiferromagnetic films by an electronic-transport measurement.
自旋阀是一种微电子器件,它利用载流子的电荷和自旋来实现高低阻状态。现代硬盘读取头和磁性随机存取存储器中使用的自旋阀结构由两个铁磁电极组成,其相对磁化方向可以在平行和反平行配置之间切换,从而产生所需的巨磁电阻或隧道磁电阻效应。在这里,我们在一侧具有反铁磁体而另一侧具有非磁性金属的 NiFe/IrMn/MgO/Pt 叠层中证明了超过 100%的自旋阀样信号。通过外部场约为 50 mT 或更小的外部场反转 NiFe 中的铁磁矩,并且 NiFe 对 IrMn 的交换弹簧效应导致 IrMn 中反铁磁矩的旋转,这通过测量的隧道各向异性磁电阻来检测。我们的工作证明了一种由反铁磁体控制其输运特性的自旋电子元件。它表明,使用单个磁性电极,可以将对低磁场的敏感性与大的、由自旋轨道耦合引起的磁输运各向异性结合起来。反铁磁共振各向异性磁电阻为通过电子输运测量研究反铁磁膜的磁性特性提供了一种手段。