Gated Spin Transport through an Individual Single Wall Carbon Nanotube

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates spin transport in single wall carbon nanotubes through hysteretic magnetoresistance switching, modulated by gate voltage, indicating potential for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of spin transport in individual nanotubes with controllable magnetoresistance via gate voltage.

Findings

Magnetoresistance varies between +10% and -15%.

Hysteretic switching indicates spin transport.

Wave vector matching explains the results.

Abstract

Hysteretic switching in the magnetoresistance of short-channel, ferromagnetically contacted individual single wall carbon nanotubes is observed, providing strong evidence for nanotube spin transport. By varying the voltage on a capacitively coupled gate, the magnetoresistance can be reproducibly modified between +10% and -15%. The results are explained in terms of wave vector matching of the spin polarized electron states at the ferromagnetic / nanotube interfaces.