Coherent and stochastic charge tunneling in ferromagnetic single electron transistors

Abstract

A model to calculate the I-V characteristic and tunneling magnetoresistance of a ferromagnetic single electron transistor (FM-SET) is presented. This model incorporates both the sequential stochastic nature of separate tunneling event which transfer discrete charges across the FM-SET, and the coherent tunneling of an individual electron across a barrier. The tunneling resistance Rt of each junction is calculated based on a free electron transmission through a trapezoidal barrier, and a two-band model within the FM electrodes to account for the spin dependence of the transmission coefficients.