Spin-polarized tunneling in hybrid metal-semiconductor magnetic tunnel junctions

We demonstrate efficient spin-polarized tunneling between a ferromagnetic metal and a ferromagnetic semiconductor with highly mismatched conductivities. This is indicated by a large tunneling magnetoresistance (up to 30%) at low temperatures in epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions composed of a ferromagnetic metal (MnAs) and a ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga1-xMnxAs) separated by a nonmagnetic semiconductor (AlAs). Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics yields detailed information about the asymmetric tunnel barrier. The low temperature conductance-voltage characteristics show a zero bias anomaly and a rootV dependence of the conductance, suggesting a correlation gap in the density of states of Ga1-xMnxAs. These experiments suggest that MnAs/AlAs heterostructures offer well characterized tunnel junctions for high efficiency spin injection into GaAs.