Altermagnetic Flatband-Driven Fermi Surface Geometry for Giant Tunneling Magnetoresistance
Abstract
Altermagnetism, characterized by zero net magnetization and symmetry-protected spin-split band structures, has recently emerged as a promising platform for spintronics. In altermagnetic tunnel junctions (AMTJs), the suppression of tunneling in the antiparallel configuration relies on the mismatch between spin-polarized conduction channels in momentum space. However, ideal nonoverlapping spin-polarized Fermi surfaces are rarely found in bulk altermagnets. Motivated by the critical influence of Fermi surface geometry on tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), we investigate three experimentally synthesized altermagnets -- bulk , , and -- to elucidate how flatband-driven Fermi surfaces minimize spin-channel overlap and boost AMTJ performance. Notably, and host flat altermagnetic Fermi sheets, which confine spin degeneracy to minimal arc-like or nodal-like regions. Such Fermi surface geometry drastically reduces spin overlap, resulting in an unprecedented intrinsic TMR well over in the -based AMTJ. Incorporating an insulating barrier further enhances the TMR to , surpassing most conventional MTJs. These results not only establish as a compelling candidate AMTJ material, but also highlight the critical role of flatband Fermi surface geometry in achieving high-performance altermagnetic-spintronic device technology.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2511.17277,
title = {Altermagnetic Flatband-Driven Fermi Surface Geometry for Giant Tunneling Magnetoresistance},
author = {Xingyue Yang and Shibo Fang and Zongmeng Yang and Pin Ho and Jing Lu and Yee Sin Ang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.17277},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Advanced Functional Materials (2026)