Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1666400 | Thin Solid Films | 2013 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Here we present a scanning tunneling microscopy study of electrical conductivity of (110)-oriented MgO ultrathin films grown on hexagonal close-packed Co(0001) surface by molecular beam epitaxy, being a good candidate for tunneling barrier for future-generation spintronic devices. Three-dimensional growth of the tunneling barrier, expected for compressive strains emerging at the Co/MgO interface, is demonstrated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The 5Â eV height of the full barrier of MgO is reached at a layer thickness of 4Â nm. Thinner MgO layers exhibit randomly distributed spots of the high conductance on the tunneling current map. The current-voltage curves indicate the existence of vacancies in MgO crystal lattice, lowering the resistivity of the tunneling barrier.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Authors
L. Gladczuk, M. Aleszkiewicz,