Quantum effects in atomically perfect specular spin valve structures

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

teixeira, j. m. (Author) Other; ventura, j. (Author) REIT; Pogorelov, YG (Author) Other; sousa, j. b. (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Journal of Physics Condensed Matter

Vol. 20

ISSN: 0953-8984

Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing

Indexing

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Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-W84

DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/20/36/365205

Abstract (EN): A simple tight-binding theoretical model is proposed for spin-dependent, current-in-plane transport in highly coherent spin valve structures under specularity conditions. Using quantum-mechanically coherent and spatially quantized Fermi states in the considered multilayered system, a system of partial Boltzmann kinetic equations is built for relevant subbands to yield the expressions for conductance in parallel or antiparallel spin valve states and thus for the magneto-conductance. It is shown that specularity favors the magnetoresistance for this structure reaching a high value (very close to 100%). This result is practically independent of the model parameters, in particular it does not even need that the lifetimes of majority and minority carriers be different (as necessary for the quasiclassical regimes). The main MR effect in the considered limit is due to the transformation of coherent quantum states, induced by the relative rotation of magnetization in the FM layers. Numerical calculations based on the specific Boltzmann equation with an account of spin-dependent specular reflection at the interfaces is also performed for a typical choice of material parameters.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5