Observation of Long Spin Relaxation Times in Bilayer Graphene at Room Temperature

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that bilayer graphene exhibits long spin relaxation times at room temperature, with times up to 2 nanoseconds, highlighting the role of D'yakonov-Perel' spin scattering and differences from single layer graphene.

Contribution

First systematic investigation of spin transport in bilayer graphene across various conditions, revealing longer relaxation times and the importance of specific scattering mechanisms.

Findings

Spin relaxation time up to 2 ns in bilayer graphene.

Inverse scaling of relaxation time with mobility.

Significant temperature-dependent changes in spin relaxation behavior.

Abstract

We report on the first systematic study of spin transport in bilayer graphene (BLG) as a function of mobility, minimum conductivity, charge density and temperature. The spin relaxation time $\tau_s$ scales inversely with the mobility $\mu$ of BLG samples both at room temperature and at low temperature. This indicates the importance of D'yakonov - Perel' spin scattering in BLG. Spin relaxation times of up to 2 ns are observed in samples with the lowest mobility. These times are an order of magnitude longer than any values previously reported for single layer graphene (SLG). We discuss the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that could lead to the dominance of D'yakonov-Perel' spin scattering in BLG. In comparison to SLG, significant changes in the density dependence of $\tau_s$ are observed as a function of temperature.