Giant Coulomb blockade magnetoresistance

Abstract

We show that the Coulomb blockade voltage can be made to depend strongly on the electron spin in a thin magnetic granular layer inserted in the middle of an insulating layer of a tunnel junction. This strong spin dependence is predicted from the spin-dependent inter-granular conductance through any of the following effects within the granular layer, giant magnetoresistance (GMR), tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), or GMR through a polymer spacer. The resulting Coulomb blockade magnetoresistance (CBMR) ratio can exceed the magnetoresistance ratio of the granular layer itself by orders of magnitude. Unlike other magenetoresistance effects, the CBMR effect does not require magnetic electrodes.