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 $\mathrm{V_2Te_2O}$, $\mathrm{RbV_2Te_2O}$, and $\mathrm{KV_2Se_2O}$ -- to elucidate how flatband-driven Fermi surfaces minimize spin-channel overlap and boost AMTJ performance. Notably, $\mathrm{RbV_2Te_2O}$ and $\mathrm{KV_2Se_2O}$ 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 $10^3\%$ in the $\mathrm{KV_2Se_2O}$-based AMTJ. Incorporating an insulating barrier further enhances the TMR to $\sim10^5\%$, surpassing most conventional MTJs. These results not only establish $\mathrm{KV_2Se_2O}$ 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.