Magnetoresistance for the ferromagnetic tunnel junction with an amorphous semiconducting barrier

Considering the influences of the phonons and localized defect states in the amorphous-semiconducting barrier of a ferromagnetic tunnel junction, we have developed a tunneling theory of the interlayer exchange coupling for such a heterostructure. In this paper, we will extend our previous works to study the magnetoconductance of the junction. It is found that the magnetoconductance difference between the parallel and antiparallel spin arrangements of the electrodes can oscillate with the increase of the barrier thickness and can be enhanced by the elevation of temperature, which arise physically from the spin-flip scattering of the tunneling electrons with the localized defect states in the amorphous barrier and the interaction of the tunneling electrons with the phonons, respectively. We believe that this theoretical prediction could be observed in future experiments.