Quantifying Crystallographic Orientation Effects on Tunneling Magnetoresistance via Transfer Matrix and Simulation

Abstract

The transfer matrix method (TMM) is widely used to analyze the transport properties of one-dimensional or quasi-one-dimensional systems, such as nanostructures and layered materials in spintronics. However, its application in quantifying the influence of different crystallographic orientations on tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) remains underexplored [1, 2]. This study employs the transfer matrix method to construct orientation-specific matrices, enabling a systematic investigation of conductance variations under different magnetic and crystallographic conditions. This approach offers a deeper understanding of how crystallographic orientation modulates TMR by developing a framework that adapts the TMM to account for orientation-dependent electronic states and interfacial characteristics [3]. Fundamentally, the TMM represents the partition function for systems with interactions limited to nearest neighbors. It is particularly well-suited for modeling spin-dependent electron tunneling in oriented magnetic tunnel junctions [4, 5].