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AlN and ZnO, two wide band-gap semiconductors extensively used in the displayindustry, crystallise in the wurtzite structure, which can favour the formationof epitaxial interfaces to close-packed common ferromagnets. Here we explorethese semiconductors as material for insulating barriers in magnetic tunneljunctions. In particular, the {\it ab initio} quantum transport code {\itSmeagol} is used to model the $X$[111]/$Y$[0001]/$X$[111] ($X=$ Co and Fe, $Y=$AlN and ZnO) family of junctions. Both semiconductors display a valance-bandtop with $p$-orbital character, while the conduction band bottom exhibits$s$-type symmetry. The smallest complex-band decay coefficient in the forbiddenenergy-gap along the [0001] direction is associated with the $\Delta_1$symmetry, and connects across the band gap at the $\Gamma$ point in 2DBrillouin zones. This feature enables spin filtering and may result in a largetunnelling magnetoresistance. In general, we find that Co-based junctionspresent limited spin filtering and little magnetoresistance at low bias, sinceboth spin sub-bands cross the Fermi level with $\Delta_1$ symmetry. Thiscontrasts the situation of Fe, where only the minority $\Delta_1$ band isavailable. However, even in the case of Fe the magnitude of themagnetoresistance at low bias remains relatively small, mostly due toconduction away from the $\Gamma$ point and through complex bands with symmetrydifferent than $\Delta_1$. The only exception is for the Fe/AlN/Fe junction,where we predict a magnetoresitance of around 1,000\% at low bias.

Fe- and Co-based magnetic tunnel junctions with AlN and ZnO spacers