Voltage-tunable giant nonvolatile multiple-state resistance in sliding-interlayer ferroelectric h-BN van der Waals multiferroic tunnel junction

Abstract

Multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJs) based on two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures with sharp and clean interfaces at the atomic scale are crucial for applications in nanoscale multi-resistive logic memory devices. The recently discovered sliding ferroelectricity in 2D van der Waals materials has opened new avenues for ferroelectric-based devices. Here, we theoretically investigate the spin-dependent electronic transport properties of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$/graphene/bilayer-$h$-BN/graphene/CrI$_3$ (FGT/Gr-BBN-Gr/CrI) all-vdW MFTJs by employing the nonequilibrium Green's function combined with density functional theory. We demonstrate that such FGT/Gr-BBN-Gr/CrI MFTJs exhibit four non-volatile resistance states associated with different staking orders of sliding ferroelectric BBN and magnetization alignment of ferromagnetic free layer CrI$_3$, with a maximum tunnel magnetoresistance (electroresistance) ratio, i.e., TMR (TER) up to $\sim$$3.36\times10^{4}$\% ($\sim$$6.68\times10^{3}$\%) at a specific bias voltage. Furthermore, the perfect spin filtering and remarkable negative differential resistance effects are evident in our MFTJs. We further discover that the TMR, TER, and spin polarization ratio under an equilibrium state can be enhanced by the application of in-plane biaxial strain. This work shows that the giant tunneling resistance ratio, multiple resistance states, and excellent spin-polarized transport properties of sliding ferroelectric BBN-based MFTJs indicate its significant potential in nonvolatile memories.