Nanospintronics with carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This review discusses recent experimental and theoretical advances in controlling spin transport in carbon nanotubes for spintronic applications, focusing on gate-tunable effects and interface phenomena.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of experimental demonstrations and theoretical models for gate-controlled spin transport in carbon nanotube-based devices.

Findings

Demonstration of gate control of spin transport in carbon nanotubes

Analysis of quasi-bound states affecting spin transport

Role of interface scattering in spin-dependent conduction

Abstract

One of the actual challenges of spintronics is the realization of a spin-transistor allowing to control spin transport through an electrostatic gate. In this review, we report on different experiments which demonstrate a gate control of spin transport in a carbon nanotube connected to ferromagnetic leads. We also discuss some theoretical approaches which can be used to analyze spin transport in these systems. We emphasize the roles of the gate-tunable quasi-bound states inside the nanotube and the coherent spin-dependent scattering at the interfaces between the nanotube and its ferromagnetic contacts.