Current and shot noise at spin-dependent hopping through magnetic tunnel junctions

Upcoming mass production of energy efficient spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory will revolutionize modern microelectronics by introducing non-volatility not only for memory but also for logic. However, the pressing issue is to boost the sensing margin by improving the tunneling magnetoresistance ratio. We demonstrate that spin-dependent trap-assisted tunneling in magnetic tunnel junctions can increase the TMR. The influence of spin decoherence and relaxation on the current and shot noise at trap-assisted hopping is investigated.