Kondo effect in magnetic tunnel junctions with an AlOx tunnel barrier

Chao Zheng, Robert D. Shull, P. J. Chen, Philip W.T. Pong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The influence of the magnetization configuration on the Kondo effect in a magnetic tunnel junction is investigated. In the parallel configuration, an additional resistance contribution (R) below 40 K exhibits a logarithmic temperature dependence, indicating the presence of the Kondo effect. However, in the anti-parallel configuration, the Kondo-effect-associated spin-flip scattering has a nontrivial contribution to the tunneling current, which compensates the reduction of the current directly caused by Kondo scattering, making R disappear. These results indicate that suppression and restoration of the Kondo effect can be experimentally achieved by altering the magnetization configuration, enhancing our understanding of the role of the Kondo effect in spin-dependent transport.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2237-2241
Number of pages5
JournalPhysics Letters, Section A: General, Atomic and Solid State Physics
Volume380
Issue number27-28
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 23 2016
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

Keywords

  • Kondo effect
  • Magnetic tunnel junction
  • Magnetization configuration
  • Spin-flip scattering

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