Interfacial effects on the tunneling magnetoresistance in $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{0.7}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{0.3}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}/\mathrm{MgO}/\mathrm{Fe}$ tunneling junctions

Interfacial effects on the tunneling magnetoresistance in $L a_{0.7} S r_{0.3} Mn O_{3} / MgO / Fe$ tunneling junctions

R. Galceran, Ll. Balcells, C. Martinez-Boubeta, B. Bozzo, J. Cisneros-Fernández, M. de la Mata, C. Magén, J. Arbiol, J. Tornos, F. A. Cuellar, Z. Sefrioui, A. Cebollada, F. Golmar, L. E. Hueso, F. Casanova, J. Santamaría, and B. Martinez

Phys. Rev. B 92, 094428 – Published 16 September 2015

Abstract

We report on magnetotransport properties on $L a_{0.7} S r_{0.3} Mn O_{3} / MgO / Fe$ tunnel junctions grown epitaxially on top of (001)-oriented $SrTi O_{3}$ substrates by sputtering. It is shown that the magnetoresistive response depends critically on the $MgO / Fe$ interfacial properties. The appearance of an $Fe O_{X}$ layer by the interface destroys the $Δ_{1}$ symmetry filtering effect of the $MgO / Fe$ system and only a small negative tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) $(\sim - 3 %)$ is measured. However, in annealed samples a switchover from positive TMR ( $\sim + 25 %$ at 70 K) to negative TMR $(\sim - 1 %)$ is observed around 120 K. This change is associated with the transition from semiconducting at high $T$ to insulating at low $T$ taking place at the Verwey transition $(T_{V} \sim 120 K)$ in $F e_{3} O_{4},$ thus suggesting the formation of a very thin slab of magnetite at the $MgO / Fe$ interface during annealing treatments. These results highlight the relevance of interfacial properties on the tunneling conduction process and how it can be substantially modified through appropriate interface engineering.

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Received 12 March 2015
Revised 18 June 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.094428

Authors & Affiliations

R. Galceran¹, Ll. Balcells¹, C. Martinez-Boubeta^2,*, B. Bozzo¹, J. Cisneros-Fernández¹, M. de la Mata¹, C. Magén³, J. Arbiol^1,4, J. Tornos⁵, F. A. Cuellar⁵, Z. Sefrioui⁵, A. Cebollada⁶, F. Golmar^7,8, L. E. Hueso^8,9, F. Casanova^8,9, J. Santamaría⁵, and B. Martinez¹

¹Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus UAB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
²University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
³Laboratorio de Microscopías Avanzadas (LMA), Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragon (INA) - ARAID, and Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universitat de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
⁴Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
⁵Grupo de Física de Materia Condensada (GFMC), Departamento Fisica Aplicada III, F. de Fisica, Universitat Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁶Instituto de Microelectrónica de Madrid (IMM-CNM-CSIC), Isaac Newton 8, PTM, 28760 Tres Cantos, Spain
⁷Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial (CONICET-INTI) and Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología - Universidad Nacinal de San Martín (ECyT-UNSAM), San Martín, Bs. As., Argentina
⁸CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain
⁹IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

^*Present address: Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

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Vol. 92, Iss. 9 — 1 September 2015

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Physical Review B

covering condensed matter and materials physics

Interfacial effects on the tunneling magnetoresistance in $L a_{0.7} S r_{0.3} Mn O_{3} / MgO / Fe$ tunneling junctions

R. Galceran, Ll. Balcells, C. Martinez-Boubeta, B. Bozzo, J. Cisneros-Fernández, M. de la Mata, C. Magén, J. Arbiol, J. Tornos, F. A. Cuellar, Z. Sefrioui, A. Cebollada, F. Golmar, L. E. Hueso, F. Casanova, J. Santamaría, and B. Martinez

Phys. Rev. B 92, 094428 – Published 16 September 2015

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Physical Review B

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Interfacial effects on the tunneling magnetoresistance in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/MgO/Fe tunneling junctions

R. Galceran, Ll. Balcells, C. Martinez-Boubeta, B. Bozzo, J. Cisneros-Fernández, M. de la Mata, C. Magén, J. Arbiol, J. Tornos, F. A. Cuellar, Z. Sefrioui, A. Cebollada, F. Golmar, L. E. Hueso, F. Casanova, J. Santamaría, and B. Martinez

Phys. Rev. B 92, 094428 – Published 16 September 2015

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Interfacial effects on the tunneling magnetoresistance in $L a_{0.7} S r_{0.3} Mn O_{3} / MgO / Fe$ tunneling junctions