Current Research Grants :
The title of the project is Fabrication and Characterization of MgO -based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJs). Over the last two decades, great interest has increased in fabrication of MTJs due to its wide potential applications in spintronic devices; mainly in hard disk drive (HDD) read heads. A read head with a large Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio can read smaller magnetic bits on the hard disk, and hence a higher storage density. A typical magnetic tunnel junction is composed of two ferromagnetic layers separated by a very thin insulating layer. In principle, the tunneling resistance of the junction depends on both type and thickness of the insulating layer and the orientation of the magnetization vectors of the outer two ferromagnetic layers. For a specific insulating layer, the resistance is minimum (maximum) when the relative orientations of the two magnetization vectors are parallel (antiparallel). The relative orientation of the magnetization vectors can be tuned by an external magnetic field. The devices will be patterned using a standard photolithography technique. Magnetic multilayers stack will be deposited using a sputtering technique . Magnetic measurements will be performed using the quantum design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). These measurements, however, are expected to reveal valuable information about the characteristics and transport properties of the fabricated devices. I think MTJ devices are expected to play an important role in future computer industry. Therefore, producing high quality MTJs will have a broad impact on real device applications. The initial goal of this project is to produce a specific, reproducible recipe for making MgO -based MTJs on a silicon substrate and manipulate their magnetic properties. This is a strategic research proposal that is supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research @ The Hashemite University with a budget of around $700,000.
A schematic of the structure of the proposed MTJ that will be fabricated in this work
Over the last few decades, great interest has increased in copper-oxide (cuprates) high temperature superconductors (HTS) due to its potential applications. HTSs are expected to play an important role in future industry as they are widely used now a days in various fields including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs), Transistors, Josephson Junction Devices, etc. Therefore, producing high quality HTSs will have a broad impact on real applications in many aspects of our life. The general purpose of this project is to fabricate samples of nanocrystalline high temperature Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) superconductors using the ball milling technique and characterize their structural, electrical and magnetic properties. The project is supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research @ The Hashemite University with a budget of around $135,000.