Molecules can serve as unprecedented device elements and can produce the most advanced forms of computer logic and memory devices. However, making reliable and mass producible electrical connections between ferromagnetic metals and molecules has been the major impediments for the development of molecular spintronics devices. This presentation will discuss a magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics device (MTJMSD) approach to addresses the decade old hurdles. An MTJMSD is produced by bridging the molecules across a ~2 nm thick insulator of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), along its exposed side edges. The specific attribute of the exposed region of an MTJ is that the two ferromagnetic metals are separated by the ~2 nm insulator. The molecules utilized in this study possessed sufficient length and at least two thiol functional groups to make covalent bonding with the ferromagnetic electrodes. Upon successful bridging across the insulator gap, the molecules become the dominant conduction channels. Molecules dominated the spin transport and magnetic properties of the MTJ testbeds. Our experimental study shows that the MTJMSD fabrication should occur below ~100 degree C or in the inert ambiance to protect ferromagnetic electrodes from ambient oxidation. We were able to substantiate the molecule role as a device element by doing a number of control experiment such as (1) reversing the molecule effect to retain the MTJ testbed attributes, (2) increasing the MTJ’s tunnel barrier thickness to prevent molecules becoming the device elements. The MTJMSD’s most lucrative attribute is that it utilizes molecules as the device elements and delegates the task of ensuring robust mechanical spacer between two metal electrodes on the MTJ’s tunnel barrier.  An MTJMSD approach is based on already commercially successful MTJ devices which are utilized in the present day computers' memory drive. This talk invites inorganic chemistry researchers for the development of various forms of inorganic molecules for molecular spintronics devices.

Molecular spintronics devices utilizing inorganic molecules as the device elements

254th National Meeting (2017)

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