High spin polarization at the Fe/C interface in the Fe-doped C film

境 誠司; 松本 吉弘; 大伴 真名歩; 圓谷 志郎; Avramov, P.; Sorokin, P. B.*; 楢本 洋*

Synthetic Metals, 173, p.22 - 25, 2013/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.synthmet.2012.10.027

A process of tunneling conduction and the spin-dependent resistivity change (so-called tunneling magnetoresitance effect) in the Fe-doped C film with a granular structure is investigated for the current-into-plane device. Cooperative tunneling (cotunneling) through several Fe nanoparticles is suggested to be operative at temperatures lower than 20 K. By considering the effect of cotunneling on the magnetoresistance ratio, it is successfully shown that the spin polarization of tunneling electrons generated at the Fe/C interface is much higher than that in Fe crystal at low temperature in a similar fashion to that at the Co/C interface in the Co-doped C films. A strong temperature dependence of spin polarization is observed, suggesting possible influences by the thermally-induced disorders ascribed in the Fe atoms bonded with C in the C-Fe compound.