Electric modulation of the Fermi arc spin transport via three-terminal configuration in the topological semimetal nanowires

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates electric control of spin transport in topological semimetal nanowires using a three-terminal setup, revealing potential for spintronic devices based on Fermi arc modulation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel three-terminal measurement method to electrically modulate Fermi arc spin transport in Cd3As2 nanowires, highlighting new spintronic applications.

Findings

Reversal of hysteresis loops confirms spin-momentum locking.

Electric modulation enables on-off control of spin signals.

Potential application in spin field-effect transistors.

Abstract

Spin momentum locking is a key feature of the topological surface state, which plays an important role in spintronics. The electrical detection of current-induced spin polarization protected by the spin momentum locking in non-magnetic systems provides a new platform for developing spintronics while previous studies were mostly based on magnetic materials. In this study, the spin transport measurement of Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 was studied by the three-terminal geometry, and a hysteresis loop signal with high resistance and low resistance state was observed. The hysteresis was reversed by reversing the current direction, which illustrates the spin-momentum locking feature of Cd3As2. Furthermore, we realized the on-off states of the spin signals through electric modulation of the Fermi arc via the three-terminal configuration, which enables the great potential of Cd3As2 in spin field-effect transistors.