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Published on: March 24, 2019
Direct Observation of Interfacial Exchange Coupling in a Magnetic Tunnel Junction through Spin-Polarized
Xu Wang1, Chenxi Wang1, Ying Yang1
1Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Advanced Material Laboratory, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
None:
Interfacial exchange coupling plays a critical role in enabling novel phenomena in magnetic heterostructures, such as spin-triplet superconductivity, the quantum anomalous Hall effect, and advanced spintronic functionalities. While the microscopic characterization of this coupling is essential for elucidating the underlying mechanism, it remains technically challenging. Here, using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and quasiparticle interference, we directly observed interfacial exchange coupling in a magnetic tunnel junction formed by an Fe-coated tip and a Cr(001) surface. We found that the ferromagnetic tip induces a significant energy shift (up to 10 meV) in the spin-polarized surface state of Cr(001). This shift is highly sensitive to the tip-surface distance and the spin alignment between the Fe tip and the Cr surface, which can be switched by an external magnetic field. Our results demonstrate that extended 2D surface states can mediate strong exchange coupling across a heterojunction, enabling local control of interfacial exchange interaction-induced phenomena.
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