Effect of interfacial scattering on the magnetoresistance of magnetic tunnel junctions

¹ CEA, Département de Recherche Fondamentale sur la Matière Condensée SP2M/NM - 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
² Department of Physics, Moscow Lomonosov University Moscow 119699, Russian Federation
³ MESA Research Institute, University of Twente P.O.Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands

Received: 13 July 1998
Accepted: 9 April 1999

Abstract

In theories of electron tunneling between metallic layers, one fundamental question remains: which is the relevant density of states which determines the tunnel current through the barrier? In this letter, the influence of electron scattering at the metal/oxide interface in magnetic tunnel junctions on the tunnel current is addressed from a theoretical point of view. Two contributions to the tunnel current and to the magnetoresistance of these junctions are obtained: one from specular transmission through the barrier which is related to the one-dimensional density of states next to the metal/oxide interface, the other from tunneling assisted by interfacial scattering which depends both on the one-dimensional and three-dimensional density of states. The effect of spin-flip scattering on the impurities is discussed as well.