Efficient spin-current injection in single-molecule magnet junctions

TL;DR

This paper theoretically demonstrates that single-molecule magnets can serve as efficient, tunable spin injectors in molecular spintronics, with spin polarization amplified through exchange coupling and controllable via voltage adjustments.

Contribution

It introduces a master-equation approach to show how spin polarization is amplified in SMM junctions, proposing a new efficient spin injection device.

Findings

Spin polarization is amplified in SMM junctions.

Spin-current polarization can be tuned by voltage.

Proposes an efficient spin injection device.

Abstract

We study theoretically spin transport through a single-molecule magnet (SMM) in the sequential and cotunneling regimes, where the SMM is weakly coupled to one ferromagnetic and one normalmetallic leads. By a master-equation approach, it is found that the spin polarization injected from the ferromagnetic lead is amplified and highly polarized spin-current can be generated, due to the exchange coupling between the transport electron and the anisotropic spin of the SMM. Moreover, the spin-current polarization can be tuned by the gate or bias voltage, and thus an efficient spin injection device based on the SMM is proposed in molecular spintronics.