Spin injection in spin FETs using a step-doping profile

We investigate the effect of a step-doping profile on the spin injection from a ferromagnetic metal contact into a semiconductor quantum well in spin field-effect transistors using a Monte Carlo model. The considered scheme uses a heavily doped layer at the metal-semiconductor interface to vary the Schottky barrier shape and enhance the tunneling current. It is found that spin flux (spin current density) is enhanced proportionally to the total current, and the variation of current spin polarization does not exceed 20%.     

Unconventional Charge–Spin Conversion in Weyl-Semimetal WTe2

An outstanding feature of topological quantum materials is their novel spin topology in the electronic band structures with an expected large charge-to-spin conversion efficiency. Here, a charge-current-induced spin polarization in the type-II Weyl semimetal candidate WTe₂ and efficient spin injection and detection in a graphene channel up to room temperature are reported. Contrary to the conventional spin Hall and Rashba–Edelstein effects, the measurements indicate an unconventional charge-to-spin conversion in WTe₂, which is primarily forbidden by the crystal symmetry of the system. Such a large spin polarization can be possible in WTe₂ due to a reduced crystal symmetry combined with its large spin Berry curvature, spin–orbit interaction with a novel spin-texture of the Fermi states. A robust and practical method is demonstrated for electrical creation and detection of such a spin polarization using both charge-to-spin conversion and its inverse phenomenon and utilized it for efficient spin injection and detection in the graphene channel up to room temperature. These findings open opportunities for utilizing topological Weyl materials as nonmagnetic spin sources in all-electrical van der Waals spintronic circuits and for low-power and high-performance nonvolatile spintronic technologies.     

Electrical Spin Injection in a Ferromagnetic Metal/Insulator/Semiconductor Tunnel Heterostructure

We demonstrate experimentally the electrical spin injection from a ferromagnetic metal/tunnel barrier contact into a semiconductor III–V heterostructure. The injected electrons have an in-plane spin orientation. We show that by applying an oblique external magnetic field this spin orientation can be manipulated within the semiconductor, and a nonzero perpendicular spin component arises. This perpendicular component can be easily monitored by optical means (circular polarization of the emitted light). In a CoFe/AlO _x /(Al,Ga)As/GaAs heterostructure we observe injected spin polarization in access of 9% at 80 K and optimized structures have recently shown spin injection up to room temperature.     

Electric Field Effects on Spin Polarized Transport in FM/NMS and FM/NMS/FM Structures in Interaction Approximation

In this article, we have solved spin-dependent drift-diffusion equations analytically by considering a spin selective barrier between the magnet and semiconductor layer in interaction approximation and also taking into account the correlation and exchange effects. We have studied the electric field effects on the spin polarized transport in the ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic semiconductor (FM/NMS) and FM/NMS/FM structures in a degenerate regime. We have shown by increasing the conductivity of semiconductor up to ferromagnetic conductivity, semiconductor effective resistance becomes smaller and the spin injection efficiency will be increased. Also, the electric field enhances spin polarization density. Furthermore, in injection structures with interfacial barriers, the electric field enhances spin polarization considerably. In fact, the spin selective interfacial barrier acts as a spin filter, which permits electrons with a particular spin direction ↑(↓) pass through the interface. In addition, the calculated results in interacting approximation show that spin injection is increased. Finally, it is found that in FM/NMS/FM structures at low-field regime, the width of the semiconductor has the important role in spin transport.     

Influence of surface scattering on the anomalous conductance plateaus in an asymmetrically biased InAs/In(0.52)Al(0.48)As quantum point contact

We study of the appearance and evolution of several anomalous (i.e., G < G(0) D 2e(2)/h) conductance plateaus in an In(0.52)Al(0.48)As/InAs quantum point contact (QPC). This work was performed at T = 4:2 K as a function of the offset bias ΔV(G) between the two in-plane gates of the QPC. The number and location of the anomalous conductance plateaus strongly depend on the polarity of the offset bias. The anomalous plateaus appear only over an intermediate range of offset bias of several volts. They are quite robust, being observed over a maximum range of nearly 1 V for the common sweep voltage applied to the two gates. These results are interpreted as evidence for the sensitivity of the QPC spin polarization to defects (surface roughness and impurity (dangling bond) scattering) generated during the etching process that forms the QPC side walls. This assertion is supported by non-equilibrium Green function simulations of the conductance of a single QPC in the presence of dangling bonds on its walls. Our simulations show that a spin conductance polarization as high as 98% can be achieved despite the presence of dangling bonds. The maximum in is not necessarily reached where the conductance of the channel is equal to 0:5G(0).     

Spin Hall effect devices

The spin Hall effect is a relativistic spin-orbit coupling phenomenon that can be used to electrically generate or detect spin currents in non-magnetic systems. Here we review the experimental results that, since the first experimental observation of the spin Hall effect less than 10 years ago, have established the basic physical understanding of the phenomenon, and the role that several of the spin Hall devices have had in the demonstration of spintronic functionalities and physical phenomena. We have attempted to organize the experiments in a chronological order, while simultaneously dividing the Review into sections on semiconductor or metal spin Hall devices, and on optical or electrical spin Hall experiments. The spin Hall device studies are placed in a broader context of the field of spin injection, manipulation, and detection in non-magnetic conductors.     

Spin injection from ferromagnetic semiconductor CoZnO into ZnO

2x （FeNi/CoZnO）/ZnO/（CoZnO/Co） x2 spin-inJection devices were prepared by sputtering and photo-lithography. In the devices, two composite magnetic layers 2x（FeNi/CoZnO） and （CoZnO/Co）x2 with different coercivities were used to fabricate the ZnO-based semiconductor spin valve. Since the CoZnO ferromagnetic semiconductor layers touched the ZnO space layer directly, the significant spin injection from CoZnO into ZnO was observed by measuring the magnetoresistance of the spin-injection devices. The magnetoresistance reduced linearly with increasing temperature, from 1.12% at 90 K to 0.35% at room temperature.     

Spin–Orbit Interaction and All-Semiconductor Spintronics

The purpose of this paper is to give a brief review and trace the present-day perspectives to exploit the spin–orbit interaction in conventional nonmagnetic semiconductor nanostructures. We demonstrate theoretically that the structures can be used to design basic elements of highspeed spintronic devices. In particular we discuss spin filtering, spin-dependent confinement, and scattering in all-semiconductor nanostructures.     

Spin Polarization Dependence of Zero Bias Conductance in Ferromagnetic Quantum Wire/ D-wave Superconductor Junctions

A relation between the zero-bias conductance and spin polarization in a ferromagnetic quantum wire/ d-wave superconductor junction at finite temperature is studied, theoretically. In contrast to conventional d-wave superconductors which zero bias conductance peaks appear in tunneling spectra, we have found a disappearance of zero bias peak in tunneling spectra, in a way that it will be zero for all of barriers and polarizations parameters. Also, different temperature dependencies of zero bias conductance will be discussed.     

Electrical Spin Injection from Ferromagnetic Metals into GaAs

The spin injection into GaAs has been studied for the ferromagnetic metals MnAs and Fe. Evidence for preferential minority spin injection is obtained by analyzing the electroluminescence signal of GaAs/(In,Ga)As light emitting diodes. The injection behavior for epitaxial Fe and MnAs layers is found to be very similar with respect to the efficiency and preferential spin orientation. Spin injection efficiencies of about 5–6% are estimated on the basis of spin relaxation times extracted from time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. For the Fe/GaAs interface, spin injection at room temperature is demonstrated. In the case of MnAs, the results do not depend on the azimuthal orientation of the epitaxial injection layer. The underlying injection mechanism can be explained in terms of a tunneling process.     

Highly Efficient and Tunable Filtering of Electrons' Spin by Supramolecular Chirality of Nanofiber-Based Materials

Organic semiconductors and organic–inorganic hybrids are promising materials for spintronic-based memory devices. Recently, an alternative route to organic spintronic based on chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) is suggested. In the CISS effect, the chirality of the molecular system itself acts as a spin filter, thus avoiding the use of magnets for spin injection. Here, spin filtering in excess of 85% in helical π-conjugated materials based on supramolecular nanofibers at room temperature is reported. The high spin-filtering efficiency can even be observed in nanofibers assembled from mixtures of chiral and achiral molecules through chiral amplification effect. Furthermore and most excitingly, it is shown that both “up” and “down” orientations of filtered spins can be obtained in a single enantiopure system via the temperature-dependent helicity (P and M) inversion of supramolecular nanofibers. The findings showcase that materials based on helical noncovalently assembled systems are modular platforms with an emerging structure–property relationship for spintronic applications.     

Switching of Current Spin Polarization by Electron-Phonon Interaction in a Quantum Dot Device

We study spin-polarized electron transport through a quantum dot coupled to one normal metal lead and one ferromagnetic lead. Both the intradot Coulomb correlation and the electron-phonon interaction are taken into account in the framework of nonequilibrium Green’s function theory. We find that due to the interplay of the Coulomb blockade effect and the phonon-induced extra electron transport channels, the spin polarization of the electron current driven by external bias voltage is enhanced in a range of negative biases in which the current is flowing from the ferromagnetic lead to the normal metal one. While for the corresponding positive biases, the current polarization is suppressed to negative values where the current is flowing from the normal metal lead to the ferromagnetic one. The device thus operates as a current polarization switcher without the need of a magnetic field or spin-orbit interaction, and may find use in low-power spintronic devices with the help of phonon engineering techniques.     

Coherent Spin Transport and Suppression of Spin Relaxation in InSb Nanowires with Single Subband Occupancy at Room Temperature

A longstanding goal of spintronics is to inject, then coherently transport, and finally detect electron spins in a semiconductor nanowire in which a single quantized subband is occupied by the electrons at room temperature. Here, the achieving of this goal in electrochemically self‐assembled 50‐nm diameter InSb nanowires is reported and substantiated by demonstrating both the spin‐valve effect and the Hanle effect. Observing both effects in the same sample allows one to estimate the electron mobility and the spin relaxation time in the nanowires. It is found that despite four orders of magnitude degradation in the mobility compared to bulk or quantum wells and a resulting four orders of magnitude increase in the Elliott‐Yafet spin relaxation rate, the spin relaxation time in the nanowires is still about an order of magnitude longer than what has been reported in bulk and quantum wells. This is caused by the elimination or suppression of the D’yakonov‐Perel’ spin relaxation through single subband occupancy. These experiments shed light on the nature of spin transport in a true quantum wire and raise hopes for the realization of a room‐temperature Datta‐Das spin transistor, where single subband occupancy is critical for optimum performance.     

Lateral Shifts for Spin Electrons in a Hybrid Magnetic-Electric-Barrier Nanostructure Modulated by Spin-Orbit Couplings

We theoretically investigate how to modulate spin-dependent lateral shifts by the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in a hybrid magnetic-electric-barrier (MEB) nanostructure, which can be experimentally realized by depositing a ferromagnetic (FM) stripe and a Schottky metal (SM) stripe on the top and bottom of the semiconductor heterostructure, respectively. Two kinds of ROCs, Rashba SOC (RSOC) and Dresselhaus SOC (DSOC), are taken into account fully. The Schrödinger equation of the spin electron in the hybrid MEB nanostructure is exactly solved by using the improved transfer-matrix method (ITMM), and the lateral shift and its spin polarization are numerically calculated with the help of the stationary phase method (SPM). Theoretical analysis indicates that the spin polarization effect in the lateral shift still exists in the hybrid MEB nanostructure when the SOCs are considered. Numerical simulations show that both magnitude and sign of the spin polarization effect in lateral shifts vary strongly with the strengths of RSOC and DSOC. These interesting features may offer an effective means to control the behavior of spin-polarized electrons in the semiconductor nanostructure, and such a hybrid MEB nanostructure serves as a SOC-manipulable spatial spin splitter for spintronic applications.     

Engineering spin propagation across a hybrid organic/inorganic interface using a polar layer

Spintronics has shown a remarkable and rapid development, for example from the initial discovery of giant magnetoresistance in spin valves to their ubiquity in hard-disk read heads in a relatively short time. However, the ability to fully harness electron spin as another degree of freedom in semiconductor devices has been slower to take off. One future avenue that may expand the spintronic technology base is to take advantage of the flexibility intrinsic to organic semiconductors (OSCs), where it is possible to engineer and control their electronic properties and tailor them to obtain new device concepts. Here we show that we can control the spin polarization of extracted charge carriers from an OSC by the inclusion of a thin interfacial layer of polar material. The electric dipole moment brought about by this layer shifts the OSC highest occupied molecular orbital with respect to the Fermi energy of the ferromagnetic contact. This approach allows us full control of the spin band appropriate for charge-carrier extraction, opening up new spintronic device concepts for future exploitation.     

Spin current,spin accumulation and spin Hall effect

Abstract

Nonlocal spin transport in nanostructured devices with ferromagnetic injector (F1) and detector (F2) electrodes connected to a normal conductor (N) is studied. We reveal how the spin transport depends on interface resistance, electrode resistance, spin polarization and spin diffusion length, and obtain the conditions for efficient spin injection, spin accumulation and spin current in the device. It is demonstrated that the spin Hall effect is caused by spin–orbit scattering in nonmagnetic conductors and gives rise to the conversion between spin and charge currents in a nonlocal device. A method of evaluating spin–orbit coupling in nonmagnetic metals is proposed.     

Organic Spin‐Valves and Beyond: Spin Injection and Transport in Organic Semiconductors and the Effect of Interfacial Engineering

Since the first observation of the spin‐valve effect through organic semiconductors, efforts to realize novel spintronic technologies based on organic semiconductors have been rapidly growing. However, a complete understanding of spin‐polarized carrier injection and transport in organic semiconductors is still lacking and under debate. For example, there is still no clear understanding of major spin‐flip mechanisms in organic semiconductors and the role of hybrid metal–organic interfaces in spin injection. Recent findings suggest that organic single crystals can provide spin‐transport media with much less structural disorder relative to organic thin films, thus reducing momentum scattering. Additionally, modification of the band energetics, morphology, and even spin magnetic moment at the metal–organic interface by interface engineering can greatly impact the efficiency of spin‐polarized carrier injection. Here, progress on efficient spin‐polarized carrier injection into organic semiconductors from ferromagnetic metals by using various interface engineering techniques is presented, such as inserting a metallic interlayer, a molecular self‐assembled monolayer (SAM), and a ballistic carrier emitter. In addition, efforts to realize long spin transport in single‐crystalline organic semiconductors are discussed. The focus here is on understanding and maximizing spin‐polarized carrier injection and transport in organic semiconductors and insight is provided for the realization of emerging organic spintronics technologies.     

Ultrafast Photoinduced Multimode Antiferromagnetic Spin Dynamics in Exchange‐Coupled Fe/RFeO3 (R = Er or Dy) Heterostructures

Antiferromagnetic spin dynamics is important for both fundamental and applied antiferromagnetic spintronic devices; however, it is rarely explored by external fields because of the strong exchange interaction in antiferromagnetic materials. Here, the photoinduced excitation of ultrafast antiferromagnetic spin dynamics is achieved by capping antiferromagnetic RFeO₃ (R = Er or Dy) with an exchange‐coupled ferromagnetic Fe film. Compared with antiferromagnetic spin dynamics of bare RFeO₃ orthoferrite single crystals, which can be triggered effectively by ultrafast laser heating just below the phase transition temperature, the ultrafast photoinduced multimode antiferromagnetic spin dynamic modes, for exchange‐coupled Fe/RFeO₃ heterostructures, including quasiferromagnetic resonance, impurity, coherent phonon, and quasiantiferromagnetic modes, are observed in a temperature range of 10–300 K. These experimental results not only offer an effective means to trigger ultrafast antiferromagnetic spin dynamics of rare‐earth orthoferrites, but also shed light on the ultrafast manipulation of antiferromagnetic magnetization in Fe/RFeO₃ heterostructures.     

Kinetic Theory of Spin Coherence of Electrons in Semiconductors

We investigate the spin precession and dephasing of electrons in semiconductors, using the kinetic Bloch equations for a four-spin-band model. Various scatterings, such as carrier–carrier, carrier–phonon, and carrier–impurity scatterings are taken into account. Their contributions to the evolution of carrier distribution, optical coherence, and more importantly, spin coherence in undoped semiconductor quantum wells and in n-type bulk semiconductors are considered. We highlight the importance of the kinetic theory approach by comparing our results with those from Fermi's golden rule. Furthermore, a new spin dephasing mechanism is proposed, that is, spin dephasing due to spin conserving scatterings in the presence of inhomogeneous broadening.     

Electrical Spin Injection into InN Semiconductor Nanowires

We report on the conditions necessary for the electrical injection of spin-polarized electrons into indium nitride nanowires synthesized from the bottom up by molecular beam epitaxy. The presented results mark the first unequivocal evidence of spin injection into III-V semiconductor nanowires. Utilizing a newly developed preparation scheme, we are able to surmount shadowing effects during the metal deposition. Thus, we avoid strong local anisotropies that arise if the ferromagnetic leads are wrapping around the nanowire. Using a combination of various complementary techniques, inter alia the local Hall effect, we carried out a comprehensive investigation of the coercive fields and switching behaviors of the cobalt micromagnetic spin probes. This enables the identification of a range of aspect ratios in which the mechanism of magnetization reversal is single domain switching. Lateral nanowire spin valves were prepared. The spin relaxation length is demonstrated to be about 200 nm, which provides an incentive to pursue the route toward nanowire spin logic devices.