Change in Tunneling Spectrum of a Co/AlOx/Co Junction under Constant Voltage Stress

To investigate the aging effect of a tunneling junction under constant voltage stress, the tunneling resistance and inelastic electron tunneling (IET) spectra were measured. At a low voltage, up to about 0.5 V, the tunneling resistance of junctions increased gradually over time, while above about 0.6V, it decreased gradually. This change was observed independent of voltage polarity. When the applied voltage was positive, the IET spectrum did not change, whereas when it was negative, the IET spectrum changed—the asymmetric peak became symmetric. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that the junction exhibiting an asymmetric peak contained metallic Al at the AlOx/bottom electrode interface, and the junction exhibiting a symmetric peak contained a homogeneous barrier layer. An increase in the tunneling resistance indicates that the amount of metallic Al decreased in the AlO x barrier layer. Transformation from an asymmetric to a symmetric peak indicates that the metallic Al in the AlOx/bottom electrode interface was oxidized, which led to the AlOx layer becoming homogeneous.