Spin injection from the Heusler alloy Co_2MnGe into Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates electrical spin injection from the Heusler alloy Co_2MnGe into AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures, achieving significant spin polarization at low temperatures, with insights into temperature dependence and device behavior.

Contribution

It presents the first demonstration of spin injection from Co_2MnGe into GaAs-based heterostructures, highlighting its potential for spintronic applications.

Findings

Maximum spin polarization of ~13% at 2 K

Injected spin polarization of 27% based on Hanle calibration

Spin polarization decays rapidly with increasing temperature

Abstract

Electrical spin injection from the Heusler alloy Co_2MnGe into a p-i-n Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs light emitting diode is demonstrated. A maximum steady-state spin polarization of approximately 13% at 2 K is measured in two types of heterostructures. The injected spin polarization at 2 K is calculated to be 27% based on a calibration of the spin detector using Hanle effect measurements. Although the dependence on electrical bias conditions is qualitatively similar to Fe-based spin injection devices of the same design, the spin polarization injected from Co_2MnGe decays more rapidly with increasing temperature.