自旋电子学研究的最新进展

自旋极化电子的高效注入、自旋霍尔效应和自旋流的产生与探测都是目前自旋电子学中热门研究专题,世界一些著名学术刊物屡见报道。对这些重要内容的理论和实验的最新研究成果进行了介绍。通过自旋极化电子高效注入方法和材料的研究,人们期望研制出新一代自旋电子器件,进而实现应用电子自旋传输、记录和存储信息的目标。近期实验给出,自旋极化电子从铁磁金属注入半导体和金属都获得较高的极化率。各种注入方法中,自旋流直接注入法目前备受关注,因为自旋霍尔效应为自旋流的产生与探测提供了新的途径,即自旋霍尔效应可以产生自旋流,但因无霍尔电压故不容易测量;而逆自旋霍尔效应又将自旋流转化为电流,使得难以测量的自旋流又可以直接用电学方法测量。     

量子点接触中的自旋过滤特性

利用可调节自旋过滤器模型,首次计算并讨论了磁场和电子跃迁能量间隔变化对量子点接触结构中自旋电子过滤特性的影响。研究发现,磁场和电子跃迁能量间隔的变化引起了自旋电子隧穿概率和隧穿电导都呈现出量子台阶效应,磁场的增加使电子的回旋频率和电子的Zeeman能级分裂同时加强,从而导致量子点接触结构中的横向约束加强,而自旋过滤效应明显减弱;当磁场一定时,电子跃迁能量间隔越小,电子的自旋过滤效应越明显。电子跃迁能量间隔改变的同时,也改变了鞍形势的势垒形状和自旋过滤的灵敏度。对于不同的材料,同时考虑磁场和电子跃迁能量间隔的作用可以找到自旋过滤器的最佳过滤效果。尤为重要的是过滤器的结构可以用标准的电子束技术很容易得到,所以研究结论为设计新型自旋过滤器提供了理论依据,具有广阔的应用前景和潜在的商业价值。此外,使用朗道因子值较高的材料作自旋过滤器的衬底,可以进一步提高过滤器的性能。     

串联量子环自旋输运的性质

摘要：本文提出了金属/半导体/金属结构的串联量子环模型,研究表明：透射概率随半导体环增大发生振荡,AB磁通和Rashba自旋轨道耦合对两种自旋态电子的透射概率具有不同影响,A臂臂长和πR的比值与透射概率主共振峰的个数相关。透射概率随外加磁场增强发生振荡,其平均值随 角的减小而增大。     

四终端量子环自旋输运的性质

提出了铁磁/半导体/铁磁结构的四终端量子环模型,研究表明:透射概率随半导体环增大做周期性等幅振荡,并与电子的自旋方向和铁磁电极的磁矩方向相关。上下电极的平均透射概率均比右侧电极的大,但四终端量子环的平均透射概率及其振荡频率均比两终端量子环的低。Rashba自旋轨道耦合具有促使透射概率产生零点的效应,AB磁通对透射概率具有影响。     

含Rashba自旋轨道耦合二维电子气结构中电子反常位移及自旋分离

研究了含Rashba自旋轨道耦合的磁电调制半导体二维电子气中弹道电子的反常位移 （Goos-H?nchen位移,即GH位移）。计算中发现,通过调节结构的各个参数包括入射角、磁场强度和Rashba自旋轨道耦合系数,可以有效地调控GH位移,并且在一定条件下可以为负。电子的GH位移和自旋极化态有密切关系,这个自旋相关的位移可以用来分离不同自旋极化的电子束。基于这种现象,提出了一种利用GH位移在半导体2DEG中分离不同自旋极化电子的方法。     

稀磁半导体异质结构的自旋极化输运性质

采用格林函数方法和群速近似研究在电场、磁场作用下电子渡越稀磁半导体异质结构的自旋过滤及自旋分离的特征。研究表明具有不同自旋指向的极化电子渡越同一稀磁半导体异质结构 ,不仅隧穿几率存在着显著的差异 ,而且渡越时间的差异可达几个数量级。这种差异随着外磁场的增强而加大 ,而随外电场的增强而减小。结果意味着稀磁半导体异质结构具有很好的自旋过滤效果 ,且极化电子渡越此类结构在时间上是分离的     

自旋阀中的极化输运与相关自旋新材料及结构研究

电子既是电荷的载体又是自旋的载体。电子作为电荷的载体,使二十世纪成为了微电子学的天下。而随着1988年巨磁电阻(GMR)效应发现以来,通过操纵电子的另一量子属性——自旋,使新一代的电子器件又多了一维控制手段。电子自旋的研究涵盖了金属磁性多层膜、磁性氧化物、磁性半导体等众多体系,探寻这些体系中自旋输运的基本原理是研究的重点。目前,基于传统自旋阀中极化输运及自旋电子学的发展,对新材料和新结构的研究尚不成熟,还有众多科学问题亟待解决,诸如:如何在室温下获得更大的巨磁电阻变化率、提高器件的稳定性及灵敏度、自旋阀中交换偏置场产生的物理根源、实现自旋同半导体完美结合的材料、结构及方法等。因此,基于国内外自旋电子学研究的重点,首先围绕最基本的自旋阀纳米多层膜结构,开展了自旋阀多层膜制备、设计、结构优化、自旋阀交换偏置核心结构物理机制探索等研究;其次,提出了三种异质结新结构,并以大自旋极化率Fe3O4磁性半金属为核心材料,开展了自旋阀、新异质结研究;最后,在理论与材料研究的基础上,对自旋器件进行了设计与实验研究,获得了一些有益的结果:(1)理论方面,基于自旋电子器件进一步发展对新结构、新材料发展的需求,提出了磁性半导体/半导体、磁性半导体/磁性半导体、自旋滤波材料/自旋滤波材料的新自旋异质结模型。理论分析发现,利用磁性半导体/半导体异质结,在负偏压的作用下可实现自旋电子的极化输运,而利用磁性半导体/磁性半导体、自旋滤波材料/自旋滤波材料异质结可实现趋于100%的磁电阻变化率。另外通过计算,对可实现的磁阻效应及对材料的要求进行了详细研究,为新材料的应用奠定了一定的理论基础。(2)虽然基于自旋阀核心结构的自旋电子器件研究已开展了多年,但如何进一步提高自旋电子器件的磁电阻效应、灵敏度、工作范围、工作稳定性和解决这些问题的物理机制,仍是自旋电子学中的一个热点。因而,首先基于Mott二流体模型发现自旋阀巨磁电阻受磁性材料、非磁性材料、自旋极化率、自旋扩散长度、厚度、尺寸、电阻率等影响明显,因而可通过改善制备工艺条件及各层的材料、厚度改善自旋阀的性能,探寻提高巨磁电阻变化率、灵敏度等的有效途径。其次,以理论分析为指导,实验上首先制备Ta/NiFe/Cu/NiFe/FeMn传统自旋阀多层膜,研究了自由层、隔离层、钉扎层、反铁磁层厚度对巨磁电阻效应的影响,找到了最佳的制备工艺;其次,研究了缓冲层材料对自旋阀灵敏度、巨磁电阻效应的影响。发现由于缓冲层元素表面自由能的影响导致了自旋阀灵敏度的改变,指出选择适当表面自由能的缓冲层,可有效改善自由层薄膜的性能,为提高器件的灵敏度提供了有效的途径;最后,基于室温磁场下制备自旋阀交换偏置场较小、工作范围较窄的问题,通过对传统结构的改进,提出了新型双交换偏置场自旋阀模型,为增大器件工作稳定性、人为调制器件工作范围,提供了有效手段。(3)交换偏置在自旋电子器件中具有核心地位,但到目前为止,其产生的物理根源、影响其大小的因素仍是未解决的难题。因而,基于自旋阀的核心结构——铁磁/反铁磁交换偏置效应,研究了NiFe/FeMn双层膜钉扎层、被钉扎层厚度、材料微结构、底钉扎、顶钉扎结构等对交换偏置的影响,分析了交换偏置产生的物理根源;研究了制备磁场大小对钉扎场大小的影响,发现了利用大磁场可实现提高交换偏置的新方法,并利用52kA/m(650Oe)的大磁场在1~2nm的NiFe钉扎层中实现了接近48kA/m(600Oe)的交换偏置场。(4)基于自旋阀测试,研究了初始测试磁场平行与反平行于交换偏置场方向,测试电流的大小对交换偏置场的影响。并用大脉冲电流,在初始测试磁场反平行于交换偏置场方向的样品中,首次实现电流矩在电流沿膜面流动自旋阀结构中对钉扎场的翻转,为铁磁/反铁磁双层膜体系产生交换偏置的机理提供了新的研究途径,并对自旋阀的应用提出了新的挑战。(5)为探寻高自旋极化率的新材料,开展了半金属磁性材料Fe3O4薄膜制备工艺的研究。通过改变溅射功率、退火温度、缓冲层、磁场沉积等,在200W溅射功率、300℃的退火温度、24kA/m(300Oe)沉积磁场的最佳条件下获得了高晶粒织构、成分单一的Fe3O4薄膜,并通过对氧气氛的调节,实现了无缓冲层高性能Fe3O4薄膜的制备。(6)利用所制备的Fe3O4薄膜,进行了基于Fe3O4自旋阀的制备,发现Fe3O4薄膜同其它金属材料间电阻率的失配,是造成巨磁电阻效应低的原因;另外,基于理论提出的磁性材料/半导体异质结,制备了Fe3O4/n-Si纳米结,初步实现了磁性材料到半导体的自旋注入与输运。     

半导体自旋电子学的研究与应用进展

自旋电子学是一门最新发展起来的涉及磁学、电子学以及信息学的交叉学科.自旋电子器件与普通半导体电子器件相比具有不挥发、低功耗和高集成度等优点.本文介绍了半导体自旋电子学的研究对象和内容,主要包括磁性半导体、自旋注入、自旋探测以及自旋输运等.本文综述了半导体自旋电子学目前的研究进展及其在自旋电子器件和量子信息处理中的应用.     

自旋电子学研究进展

自旋电子学是上世纪 90年代以来飞速发展起来的新兴学科。与传统的半导体电子器件相比 ,自旋电子器件具有非挥发性、低功耗和高集成度等优点。电子学、光学和磁学的融合发展更有望产生出自旋场效应晶体管、自旋发光二极管、自旋共振隧道器件、THz频率光学开关、调制器、编码器、解码器及用于量子计算、量子通信等装置的新型器件 ,从而触发一场信息技术革命。文中介绍了自旋电子学的若干最新研究进展。     

外加磁场对含双δ势垒的铁磁/半导体/铁磁异质结中自旋输运和散粒噪声的影响

研究了外磁场存在时,含双δ势垒的铁磁/半导体/铁磁异质结中自旋相关的透射概率和散粒噪声,讨论了量子尺寸效应和Rashba自旋轨道耦合效应.研究结果表明:不同自旋取向的电子隧穿异质结时,透射概率和散粒噪声随半导体长度的变化特性是作等幅振荡;外加磁场和Rashba自旋轨道耦合强度的增强都会加大透射概率和散粒噪声的振荡频率;外加磁场角度的改变会改变散粒噪声的振荡频率;双δ势垒的存在增大了自旋电子透射概率的振幅.     

Spin transport properties in double quantum rings connected in series

A new model of metal/semiconductor/metal double-quantum-ring connected in series is proposed and the transport properties in this model are theoretically studied.The results imply that the transmission coefficient shows periodic variations with increasing semiconductor ring size.The effects of the magnetic field and Rashba spin-orbit interaction on the transmission coefficient for two kinds of spin state electrons are different.The number of the transmission coefficient peaks is related to the length ratio between the upper arm and the half circumference of the ring.In addition,the transmission coefficient shows oscillation behavior with enhanced external magnetic field,and the corresponding average value is related to the two leads’ relative position.     

Electronic absorption of surface acoustic waves by quantum rings in a magnetic field

Absorption of a surface acoustic wave by a quantum-ring array occupied by one or two electrons is considered. Dependences of the absorption coefficient on the magnetic flux through the quantum ring and the acoustic-wave frequency with allowance made for the Coulomb interaction between electrons are calculated. It is shown that the absorption coefficient is an oscillatory function of the magnetic flux with a period equal to the magnetic-flux quantum.

     

三终端多臂量子环中的持续电流

本文提出了三终端多臂量子环模型,并采用特殊方法来计算持续电流,研究发现：总磁通为零时,持续电流随半导体环增大做非周期和不等幅的振荡.总磁通不为零时,持续电流随AB磁通增强做周期性等幅振荡,Rashba自旋轨道耦合具有改变两种持续电流位相和位相差的效应. 平均持续电流的大小与各臂的臂长和所处的位置以及磁通分布相关.AB磁通对两种持续电流具有不同影响,两种持续电流是可分离的.     

Wave-mechanical Approach to the Non-linear Theory of O-type Travelling-wave Tubes

The one-dimensional motion of electrons in O-type travelling-wave devices is described in terms of wave mechanics. For the case of large-signal interaction it is found that in the final stage of the interaction the electrons travel along tit discrete energy levels involving Planck's constant. By making use of the Pauli exclusion principle, the saturation power and electronic efficiency of the large-signal travelling-wave tube are obtained.     

Investigation of the adhesive strength of PMMA structures on substrates obtained by deep X-ray lithography

The adhesive strength of PMMA structures obtained by deep X-ray lithography with synchrotron radiation is a decisive factor for effective structure replication in subsequent electroforming processes. The adhesion depends on various factors, in particular on the interaction of radiation and secondary electrons at the boundary resist/substrate. We have determined the adhesion strength of PMMA microcolumns as a function of the dose deposited below the mask absorber by breaking tension measurements applying a new experimental method. Care has been taken to separate degradation effects in the resist due to the primary photon beam from the loss of adhesion at the boundary substrate/resist caused by secondary electrons. This has been studied quantitatively by utilizing different substrate materials like glassy carbon, wet oxidized titanium, copper and gold.

Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out to simulate the deposited dose at the surface layer of different substrates. The corresponding results are supplemented by deep lithography experiments, which may be used as a means to directly conclude the deposited resist dose from secondary electrons emitted from the substrate surface.

All the irradiation experiments have been performed with specially designed masks for deep X-ray lithography at the storage ring DCI (Orsay/France).     

Polaron effect-dependent third-order optical susceptibility in a ZnS/CdSe quantum dot quantum well

The effect of the electron-phonon interaction on the third-harmonic is investigated theoretically for electrons confined in a core-shell quantum dot. The interactions of electrons with different phonon modes in the core-shell system, including the confined longitudinal optical (LO) and the interface optical (IO) phonon modes, are investigated. We carried a detailed calculation of third-harmonic generation (THG) process on a ZnS/CdSe core-shell quantum dot as a function of pump photon energy with different incident photon energy and under different sizes. The results reveal that the polaron effects are quite important especially around the peak value of the third-order susceptibility. By increasing the size of the quantum dots, the peaks of χ_THG⁽³⁾ will shift to lower energy, and the intensities of the peaks will increase.     

Energy exchange via electron-electron scattering in many-valley semiconductors

The theoretical treatment of electron-electron (e-e) scattering in semiconductor transport has always posed formidable problems, due to the long range and to the non-linearity of the interaction. Here we present a Monte Carlo study of the e-e interaction based on a molecular-dynamics approach. The full long range of the Coulomb interaction is accounted for, and no assumptions are needed on the screening process. This is particularly important when different valleys are involved, and a multi-component plasma has to be simulated. The Monte Carlo algorithm is applied to the study of the relaxation of photo-excited electrons in GaAs looking in particular at the energy exchange between electrons in different valleys. Such type of interaction has never been considered up to now in Monte Carlo simulations. The dependence of the e-e interaction on the electron density is discussed in detail. A comparison with a different approach, that treats the e-e scattering in k-space using a screened potential formulation, is also presented.     

Theoretical analysis of gyrotron amplifier with undulated waveguide

In this paper the interaction between a relativistic electron beam moving in a static magnetic field and a travelling electromagnetic wave is analysed by using the kinetic power theorem. The concept of the electron bunching function is introduced to illustrate the bunching process of beam electrons as a whole. By numerical calculation, the energy exchange process between gyrating electrons and the travelling wave field is obtained in detail. The results of the calculation show that the imaginary part of the axial wave number does not stay constant along the interaction length and that the gain characteristic is non-linear. Based on this analytic method, the maximum output power and efficiency of the gyrotron amplifier with a uniform waveguide are calculated and are found to depend critically on the value of the static magnetic field and the operating frequency. A new type of gyrotron amplifier is suggested here. In this device the gyrating electrons interact with the travelling wave in an undulated waveguide. Its instantaneous bandwidth is somewhat broadened and the optimum value of applied magnetic field is not too critical.     

两端联有铁磁电极的A-B环中的双量子点自旋极化输运

运用Keldysh格林函数方法,研究了两端联有铁磁电极的A-B环中的双量子点自旋极化输运.研究结果显示,系统的隧穿电流、自旋向上电流、自旋向下电流以及自旋累积明显的受自旋极化强度、外加电压和磁通的影响,并且随着极化强度的增大,在平行与反平行组态下的隧穿电流都减小,另外还出现了自旋分流现象.通过改变磁通,能明显地观察到两条通道的干涉现象.反平行组态下的自旋累积会随着极化强度的增大而增大.     

Coherence and localization in AC-driven quantum dots

We investigate the effects of an AC field on the dynamics of interacting electrons in quantum dots (QDs). We first consider a double QD containing two electrons. By mapping the system to an effective lattice model and employing Floquet theory we analyze the dynamics of the two-electron wavefunctions in the singlet space. This system presents a richer phenomenology than the case of a single electron in a double QD, displaying two distinct regimes of behaviour depending on whether the applied field strength or the inter-electron Coulomb repulsion is dominant. We then study the dynamics of two electrons in a 2D square QD in the limit of very low density, where the Coulomb interaction causes the electrons to become highly localized, forming a ‘Wigner molecule’. Using the same techniques we investigate how the AC field drives the dynamics of the Wigner states, and show how the parameters of the effective model may be measured in experiment.