Spin transport in nanoscale Si-based spin-valve devices

We investigated the spintransport in nano-scalesilicon (Si)-basedspin-valve devices with Feelectrodes, MgO/Ge tunnel barriers, and a 20  nm-long Si channel. We observed a clearspin-valveeffect when amagnetic field was applied in the film plane along and perpendicular to the Si channeltransport direction. Systematic investigations of the bias voltage dependence, temperature dependence, and magnetic-field direction dependence of themagnetoresistance indicate that the observedspin-valveeffect is governed by the spintransport through the nano-scale Si channel. Thespin-valveeffect remains observable up to 200  K. For the device with MgO/Ge tunnel barriers, with a bias voltage of 1.7 V at 50 K, the spin-dependent output voltage is 13 mV, which is among the highest values reported so far.

Source: Applied Physics Letters - December 5, 2016 Category: Physics Authors: Duong Dinh Hiep, Masaaki Tanaka and Pham Nam Hai Source Type: research