Spin interferometry with electrons in nanostructures: A road to spintronic devices

TL;DR

This paper explores how electron wave interference in nanostructures, combined with spin-orbit coupling, can be used to develop novel spintronic devices like spin-controlled transistors and quantum gates.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of spin interferometry in nanostructures and demonstrates a spin-dependent Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a new approach for spintronic device design.

Findings

Realization of a spin-controlled field-effect transistor without magnetic contacts

Demonstration of a spin-dependent Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Potential for quantum logical gate implementation

Abstract

The wave nature of electrons in semiconductor nanostructures results in spatial interference effects similar to those exhibited by coherent light. The presence of spin-orbit coupling renders interference in spin space and in real space interdependent, making it possible to manipulate the electron's spin state by addressing its orbital degree of freedom. This suggests the utility of electronic analogs of optical interferometers as blueprints for new spintronics devices. We demonstrate the usefulness of this concept using the Mach-Zehnder interferometer as an example. Its spin-dependent analog realizes a spin-controlled field-effect transistor without magnetic contacts and may be used as a quantum logical gate.