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Four-state ferroelectric spin-valve
DOI:
10.1038/srep09749
PMID:
25961513
Authors:
Andy
Quindeau
(Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
,
Ignasi
Fina
(Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
,
Xavi
Marti
(Institute of Physics ASCR)
,
Geanina
Apachitei
(University of Warwick)
,
Pilar
Ferrer Escorihuela
(Diamond Light Source)
,
Chris
Nicklin
(Diamond Light Source)
,
Eckhard
Pippel
(Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
,
Dietrich
Hesse
(Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
,
Marin
Alexe
(Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics)
Co-authored by industrial partner:
No
Type:
Journal Paper
Journal:
Scientific Reports
, VOL 5
State:
Published (Approved)
Published:
May 2015

Abstract: Spin-valves had empowered the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) devices to have memory. The insertion of thin antiferromagnetic (AFM) films allowed two stable magnetic field-induced switchable resistance states persisting in remanence. In this letter, we show that, without the deliberate introduction of such an AFM layer, this functionality is transferred to multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJ) allowing us to create a four-state resistive memory device. We observed that the ferroelectric/ferromagnetic interface plays a crucial role in the stabilization of the exchange bias, which ultimately leads to four robust electro tunnel electro resistance (TER) and tunnel magneto resistance (TMR) states in the junction.
Subject Areas:
Materials,
Physics
Instruments:
I07-Surface & interface diffraction