In recent years, materials and devices that are
based on the manipulation of the electron''s spin are
often termed spintronic. Spintronic devices have
already had enormous technological impact as highly
sensitive field sensors used in all magnetic data
storage devices today. Among recent advances in
spintronics, magnetic tunnel junctions have been
under intensive study and are poised to become one
of the most widely used spintronic devices. Using
sputter deposited crystalline tunnel barriers formed
from magnesium oxide (MgO) we show remarkably high
polarization values, as high as 90%. We show
alternative superconducting materials, NbN can be
used as a spin detector. We observed that by
deliberately introducing small magnetic
nanoparticles in the interior of MgO tunnel
barriers, there is evidence for Kondo-assisted
tunneling in planar magnetic tunnel junctions.
Introduction into the tunnel barrier of thin
insulating antiferromagnetic oxide layers, we show
that such layers can lead to highly asymmetric
voltage dependences of tunneling magnetoresistance,
and negative values of tunneling magnetoresistance.
based on the manipulation of the electron''s spin are
often termed spintronic. Spintronic devices have
already had enormous technological impact as highly
sensitive field sensors used in all magnetic data
storage devices today. Among recent advances in
spintronics, magnetic tunnel junctions have been
under intensive study and are poised to become one
of the most widely used spintronic devices. Using
sputter deposited crystalline tunnel barriers formed
from magnesium oxide (MgO) we show remarkably high
polarization values, as high as 90%. We show
alternative superconducting materials, NbN can be
used as a spin detector. We observed that by
deliberately introducing small magnetic
nanoparticles in the interior of MgO tunnel
barriers, there is evidence for Kondo-assisted
tunneling in planar magnetic tunnel junctions.
Introduction into the tunnel barrier of thin
insulating antiferromagnetic oxide layers, we show
that such layers can lead to highly asymmetric
voltage dependences of tunneling magnetoresistance,
and negative values of tunneling magnetoresistance.