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Enhanced Spin-Dependent Tunneling Magnetoresistance In Magnetite Films Coated By Polystyrene, Wendong Wang, Leszek Malkinski, Jinke Tang

Physics Faculty Publications

Hematite films were deposited by magnetron sputtering. A phase transformation from hematite to magnetite occurred when polystyrene (PS) coated hematite films were annealed above 200 °C in hydrogen flow. Giant negative magnetoresistance (MR) was observed with the best MR ratio of over 8% (at room temperature and in a field of 5.5 T) found in samples annealed at 230 °C. The temperature dependence of the resistivity is characteristic of intergranular tunneling. After the PS layer was removed and the films annealed again at 230 °C in hydrogen flow, the resistivity increased by about one order of magnitude and the MR …