Fabrication of Fe/MgO/Gd Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

We fabricated Fe/MgO/Gd magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) on a MgO(100) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. Gd thin films were deposited onto an MgO(100) single crystal barrier. Crystal structure and magnetization of the Gd layers were studied by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and a SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) magneto-meter, respectively. We observed magnetoresistance in the MTJs, which was attributed to the spin-polarized tunneling between the Fe and Gd films.