Spin dependent quantum transport effects in Cu nanowires

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a significant magneto-conductance effect in Cu nanowires at room temperature, likely caused by spin filtering from atmospheric oxygen, offering new insights for spintronic device development.

Contribution

It reveals a large magneto-conductance in Cu nanowires caused by oxygen-induced spin filtering, a novel phenomenon in non-magnetic copper at room temperature.

Findings

70% magneto-conductance observed at 2 mT

Spin filtering attributed to oxygen adsorption

Potential implications for spintronic devices

Abstract

In this work we investigate quantum transport in Cu nanowires created by bringing macroscopic Cu wires into and out of contact under an applied magnetic field in air. Here we show that a 70 % magneto-conductance effect can be seen in a Cu nanowire in a field of 2 mT at room temperature. We propose that this phenomenon is a consequence of spin filtering due to the adsorption of atmospheric oxygen modifying the electronic band structure and introducing spin split conduction channels. This is a remarkable result since bulk Cu is not magnetic and it may provide a new perspective in the quest for spintronic devices.