Spin valve device with spin-dependent specular electronic reflection

摘要

PURPOSE: A spin valve device with spin-dependent specular electronic reflection is provided to improve the amplitude of magnetoresistance to improve the sensitivity of a magnetoresistive element. CONSTITUTION: A spin valve device comprising at least one stack of layers comprises an electrically conductive, and a nonmagnetic layer(NM) placed between a first(R) and second(R') magnetic layers. The first and second magnetic layers have a magnetization with a certain direction. The spin device is characterized in that at least one of the first and second magnetic layers has, at the interface with the nonmagnetic layer, a specular reflection for the conduction electrons dependent on the orientation of the spin of the electrons relative to the magnetization direction in the magnetic layer or layers.