Electric readout of magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnet-semiconductor system

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnet-semiconductor system can be electrically detected through transient currents and voltages, enabling room-temperature spin-based readout techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a method to analyze time-dependent spin-polarized currents to electrically monitor magnetization dynamics at room temperature.

Findings

Transient currents are triggered by magnetization rotation.

Voltage on the capacitor relates to spin accumulation.

Electrical detection of magnetization reversal is possible.

Abstract

We apply an analysis of time-dependent spin-polarized current in a semiconductor channel at room temperature to establish how the magnetization configuration and dynamics of three ferromagnetic terminals, two of them biased and third connected to a capacitor, affect the currents and voltages. In a steady state, the voltage on the capacitor is related to spin accumulation in the channel. When the magnetization of one of the terminals is rotated, a transient current is triggered. This effect can be used for electrical detection of magnetization reversal dynamics of an electrode or for dynamical readout of the alignment of two magnetic contacts.