Abstract
We perform an ab initio study of spin-polarized tunneling in epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions with bcc Co(001) electrodes. We predict a large tunneling magnetoresistance in these junctions, originating from a mismatch in the majority- and minority-spin bands both in bulk bcc Co and at the interface. The intricate complex band structure of enables efficient tunneling of the minority electrons which causes the spin polarization of the interface to be negative in agreement with experimental data. Our results indicate that epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions with bcc Co(001) electrodes are a viable alternative for device applications.
- Received 24 August 2005
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.216601
©2005 American Physical Society