magnetic tunnel junction


magnetic tunnel junction

[mag¦ned·ik ′tən·əl ‚jəŋk·shən] (electronics) A magnetic storage and switching device in which two magnetic layers are separated by an insulating barrier, typically aluminum oxide, that is only 1-2 nanometers thick, allowing an electronic current whose magnitude depends on the orientation of both magnetic layers to tunnel through the barrier when it is subject to a small electric bias.