Magnetoresistance in the ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet tunnel junction

Recently experiments and theories show that the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) does not only depend on the ferromagnetic metal electrodes but also on the insulator. Considering the rough-scattering effect and spin-flip effect in the insulator, this paper investigates the TMR ratio in a ferromagnet/insulator/ferromagnet (FM/I/FM) tunnelling junction by using Slonczewsik's model. A more general expression of TMR ratio as a function of barrier height, interface roughness and spin-flip effect is obtained. In lower barrier case, it shows that the TMR ratio depends on the rough-scattering effect and spin-flip effect.