title: Room-temperature perpendicular exchange coupling and tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in an antiferromagnet-based tunnel junction.
abstract: We investigate the exchange coupling between perpendicular anisotropy (PMA) Co/Pt and IrMn in-plane antiferromagnets (AFMs), as well as tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) in [Pt/Co]/IrMn/AlO_{x}/Pt tunnel junctions, where Co/Pt magnetization drives rotation of AFM moments with the formation of exchange-spring twisting. When coupled with a PMA ferromagnet, the AFM moments partially rotate with out-of-plane magnetic fields, in contrast with being pinned along the easy direction of IrMn for in-plane fields. Because of the superior thermal tolerance of perpendicular exchange coupling and the stability of moments in ~6 nm-thick IrMn, TAMR gets significantly enhanced up to room temperature. Their use would advance the process towards practical AFM spintronics.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pan