Analysis of charge transport in a tunnel junction based on magnetic insulator CrCl3

This paper investigates charge transport in tunnel junctions based on the two-dimensional magnetic insulator chromium trichloride (CrCl₃). The tunneling device, consisting of a 9 nm thick CrCl3 flake sandwiched between graphite contacts, exhibited two distinct tunneling mechanisms: direct tunneling at low voltages and Fowler — Nordheim tunneling at high voltages. At low temperatures, tunneling was suppressed by antiparallel spin alignment in CrCl3 layers, while at high temperatures above 18 K the effective tunnel barrier height decreased and sharp current increase was observed. An unusual increase in the barrier height was observed in the temperature range of 20−23 K. Obtained results highlight the enhanced spin filtering effects in thicker CrCl₃-based tunnel junctions, providing insights for spintronic applications.