Time reversal reserved spin valve and spin transistor based on unconventional $p$-wave magnets

TL;DR

This paper introduces spintronic devices based on unconventional p-wave magnets that utilize anisotropic spin splitting to control electron conductance without relying on net magnetization or spin-orbit coupling.

Contribution

It proposes a novel spin valve and spin transistor design using unconventional p-wave magnets, enabling electrical control of spin states without net magnetization.

Findings

High conductance in parallel spin alignment

Suppressed conductance in antiparallel configuration

Uniform spin precession in the spin transistor

Abstract

The anisotropic spin splitting in unconventional magnets opens new opportunities for realizing spintronic functionalities without relying on net magnetization or relativistic spin-orbit coupling. Here, we propose a spin valve and a spin transistor based on unconventional $p$-wave magnets (UPMs). The spin valve is realized in a junction where a normal metal is sandwiched between two UPMs whose exchange-field strength vectors are oriented transverse to the junction direction. The conductance of such a device is governed by the spin alignment between two UPMs: when their strength vectors are parallel, the spin-state alignment enables efficient electron transmission, leading to a high-conductance state; in contrast, the antiparallel configuration suppresses the conductance owing to the opposite spin orientations. Furthermore, the spin-valve can be extended to a spin transistor by replacing the central normal metal with another UPM with a longitudinally oriented strength vector and a perpendicular spin polarization axis. The central UPM enables uniform spin precession with the same precession frequency for all transverse modes. Both devices can be electrically controlled by modulating the strength vectors of UPMs. These findings establish UPMs as a promising platform for developing spintronic devices without net magnetization or relativistic spin-orbit coupling.