High output voltage of magnetic tunnel junctions with a Cu(In0.8Ga0.2)Se2 semiconducting barrier with a low resistance-area product

Abstract

Magnetoresistance (MR) and its bias-voltage dependence were investigated in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a 2-nm-thick Cu(In0.8Ga0.2)Se2 semiconducting barrier. A relatively high MR ratio of 47% was observed with a low resistance-area product RA of 0.14 ωμm2 at 300 K. By increasing the bias voltage, a high output voltage (as high as 24 mV) was achieved; this value is significantly higher than those ever reported for MR devices with RA values less than 0.5ωμm2. These MR performance characteristics of the MTJs with Cu(In0.8Ga0.2)Se2 are suitable for high-sensitivity read head sensors for hard disk drives with a recording density higher than 2 Tbit/in.2.