Electrically controllable spin filtering and switching in multiferroic tunnel junctions

POSTER

Abstract

We propose an electrically controllable spin filter based on multiferroic tunnel junction. This novel spin filter combines the exchange splitting of ferromagnets and asymmetry in energy potential due to the screening of ferroelectric polarization charges at electrodes. Transfer matrix calculations show an enhanced spin filtering efficiency, depending on the magnitude and orientation of ferroelectric polarization. A transition from a positive tunneling magnetoresistance to a negative one is also found. Furthermore, an electric controllable switching between multiple resistive states via magnetoelectric coupling is also described, which will open a new logic programming in the future spintronics.

*The authors gratefully acknowledge supports from the National Science Council of Taiwan and National Center for Theoretical Sciences of Taiwan.

Authors

  • Sheng Ju

    • Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

  • Tian-Yi Cai

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China

  • Guang-Yu Guo

    • Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
    • Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

  • Zhen-Ya Li

    • Department of Physics, Suzhou University, China