Electrical spin injection and detection in lateral all-semiconductor devices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first electrical injection and detection of spin-polarized electrons in a single-wafer, all-semiconductor GaAs-based lateral device, using ferromagnetic Esaki diodes as contacts, achieving up to 50% efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel all-semiconductor lateral spintronic device with electrical spin injection and detection capabilities using Esaki diodes.

Findings

Achieved electrical spin injection and detection in a GaAs-based device.

Demonstrated bias-dependent spin-injection efficiency up to 50%.

First demonstration in a single-wafer all-semiconductor lateral device.

Abstract

Electrical injection and detection of spin-polarized electrons is demonstrated for the first time in a single wafer, all-semiconductor, GaAs-based lateral spintronic device, employing p+-(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs ferromagnetic Esaki diodes as spin aligning contacts. The conversion of spin-polarized holes into spin-polarized electrons via Esaki tunnelling leaves its mark in a bias dependence of the spin-injection efficiency, which at maximum reaches the relatively high value of 50%.