Exploring room-temperature transport of single-molecule magnet-based molecular spintronics devices using the magnetic tunnel junction as a device platform.

A device architecture utilizing a single-molecule magnet (SMM) as a device element between two ferromagnetic electrodes may open vast opportunities to create novel molecular spintronics devices. Here, we report a method of connecting an SMM to the ferromagnetic electrodes. We utilized a nickel (Ni)-AlO x -Ni magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with the exposed side edges as a test bed. In the present work, we utilized an SMM with a hexanuclear [Mn6(µ3-O)2(H2N-sao)6(6-atha)2(EtOH)6] [H2N-saoH = salicylamidoxime, 6-atha = 6-acetylthiohexanoate] complex that is attached to alkane tethers terminated with thiols. These Mn-based molecules were electrochemically bonded between the two Ni electrodes of an exposed-edge tunnel junction, which was produced by the lift-off method. The SMM-treated MTJ exhibited current enhancement and transitory current suppression at room temperature. Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to understand the transport properties of our molecular spintronics device.

Molecular spintronics devices exhibiting properties of a solar cell.

Almost all the solar cells created so far have been based on electronic charge. This paper reports a photovoltaic effect based on the spin property of electrons. This spin-based photovoltaic effect was observed on magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD). MTJMSDs were produced by covalently bonding organometallic molecular clusters (OMCs) between the top and bottom ferromagnetic electrodes of Co/NiFe/AlOx/NiFe magnetic tunnel junctions along the exposed side edges. The MTJMSD configuration, which showed the photovoltaic effect, also exhibited OMC induced strong antiferromagnetic coupling (Tyagi et al 2015 Nanotechnology 26 305602) and room temperature current suppression (Tyagi et al 2019 Org. Electron. 64 188-194). Our MTJMSD were fabricated below 100 °C temperature and employed earth-abundant transition metals like nickel and iron. This paper shows that the MTJMSD's photovoltaic effect was susceptible to the magnetic field, temperature, and light intensity. The solar cell efficiency was estimated to be ∼3%. Our MTJMSD approach provides a mass-producible platform for harvesting solar energy and opens a myriad of opportunities to incorporate photogenerated charges for the logic and memory operation in the molecular spintronics devices.