Electric-field control of spin accumulation signals in silicon at room temperature

TL;DR

This study demonstrates room-temperature control of spin-accumulation signals in silicon using gate voltage in a MOSFET structure, providing evidence for spin injection and advancing Si-based spintronics technology.

Contribution

It introduces gate-controlled spin signals in silicon at room temperature, showing a new method for manipulating spin accumulation in Si-based devices.

Findings

Spin signals are controllable by gate voltage.

Spin-accumulation magnitude decreases with increasing gate voltage.

Provides evidence for spin injection into silicon at room temperature.

Abstract

We demonstrate spin-accumulation signals controlled by the gate voltage in a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor structure with a Si channel and a CoFe/$n^{+}$-Si contact at room temperature. Under the application of a back-gate voltage, we clearly observe the three-terminal Hanle-effect signal, i.e., spin-accumulation signal. The magnitude of the spin-accumulation signals can be reduced with increasing the gate voltage. We consider that the gate controlled spin signals are attributed to the change in the carrier density in the Si channel beneath the CoFe/$n^{+}$-Si contact. This study is not only a technological jump for Si-based spintronic applications with gate structures but also reliable evidence for the spin injection into the semiconducting Si channel at room temperature.