Phthalocyanine based molecular spintronic devices.

Area of Science:

• Molecular spintronics
• Condensed matter physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Molecular spintronics integrates spin physics with molecular nano-objects.
• Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are key components in spintronic devices.
• Phthalocyanine molecules offer unique electronic and magnetic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate magnetoresistance effects in phthalocyanine molecule-based MTJs.
• To compare the performance of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) and manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) MTJs.
• To explore the potential of metallo-organic molecules in solid-state spintronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of MTJs using CoPc and MnPc molecules.
• Measurement of magnetoresistance effects, including tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR).
• Analysis of conductance features to identify electron tunneling processes.

Main Results:

• CoPc MTJs displayed both TMR and TAMR effects of comparable magnitude.
• MnPc MTJs exhibited a giant TAMR effect, exceeding ten thousand percent.
• Conductance measurements indicated spin-flip inelastic electron tunneling through Mn atomic chains in MnPc stacks.

Conclusions:

• Metallo-organic molecules like phthalocyanines can induce significant magnetoresistance.
• MnPc-based MTJs show exceptional TAMR, highlighting their potential for advanced spintronics.
• Phthalocyanine molecules can serve as templates for connecting magnetic atomic structures in devices.