Table 1 Analysis of the effect of lattice changes introduced by 0.5% xy biaxial strain on the parallel and antiparallel conductance for a Fe/6-layer MgO/Fe junction. The combined effect of a reduction in the z-lattice of the Fe contacts (i), of the MgO barrier (ii) and an expansion of the xy lattice of the entire junction (iii) decreases the parallel conductance by 0.7% and the antiparallel conductance by 2.5%
From: Strain-enhanced tunneling magnetoresistance in MgO magnetic tunnel junctions
| Â | Â | Parallel | Antiparallel |
|---|---|---|---|
Unstrained junction conductance (e2/h) |  | 1.7 × 10−5 | 9.1 × 10−8 |
Stepwise change in conductance | 0.58% z-compression of the Fe contacts | −3.6% | −6.6% |
| Â | 0.23% z-compression of the MgO barrier | +1.2% | +3.8% |
| Â | 0.50% xy expansion of the entire device | +1.8% | +0.6% |
