Tunneling magnetoresistance in diluted magnetic semiconductor tunnel junctions

Abstract

Using the spin-polarized tunneling model and taking into account the basic\nphysics of ferromagnetic semiconductors, we study the temperature dependence of\nthe tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in the diluted magnetic semiconductor\n(DMS) trilayer heterostructure system (Ga,Mn)As/AlAs/(Ga,Mn)As. The\nexperimentally observed TMR ratio is in reasonable agreement with our result\nbased on the typical material parameters. It is also shown that the TMR ratio\nhas a strong dependence on both the itinerant-carrier density and the magnetic\nion density in the DMS electrodes. This can provide a potential way to achieve\nlarger TMR ratio by optimally adjusting the material parameters.\n