A spin field effect transistor for low leakage current

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to reduce leakage current in spin field effect transistors by engineering the Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction, counteracting the magnetic field effects from ferromagnetic contacts.

Contribution

It introduces a technique to nearly cancel the magnetic field effects in spin FETs using backgate control of spin-orbit interaction, improving off-state performance.

Findings

Potential for nearly perfect cancellation of magnetic field effects

Significant reduction in leakage current in spin FETs

Enhanced low-power operation capabilities

Abstract

In a spin field effect transistor, a magnetic field is inevitably present in the channel because of the ferromagnetic source and drain contacts. This field causes random unwanted spin precession when carriers interact with non-magnetic impurities. The randomized spins lead to a large leakage current when the transistor is in the ``off''-state, resulting in significant standby power dissipation. We can counter this effect of the magnetic field by engineering the Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction in the channel with a backgate. For realistic device parameters, a nearly perfect cancellation is possible, which should result in a low leakage current.