Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
Oxygen-induced symmetrization and structural coherency in Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions
C Tusche1, H L Meyerheim, N Jedrecy
1Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, D-06120 Halle, Germany.
Abstract:
We present x-ray diffraction experiments and multiple-scattering calculations on the structure and transport properties of a Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Coherent growth of the top Fe electrode on the MgO spacer is observed only for Fe deposition in ambient oxygen atmosphere leading to a coherent and symmetric MTJ structure characterized by FeO layers at both interfaces. This goes in parallel with calculations indicating large positive tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) values in such symmetric junctions. The results have important implications for achieving giant TMR values.
Related Concept Videos
Ferromagnetism
Magnetic Susceptibility and Permeability
When diamagnetic materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Hence, the susceptibility for diamagnets has a minimal negative value of 10-5–10-6. Since...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Valence Bond Theory
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects
