Cover Picture: Electronic structure of EuO spin filter tunnel contacts directly on silicon (Phys. Status Solidi RRL 12/2011)

Abstract

Establishing magnetic oxides as spin-selective tunnel barriers on mainstream semiconductors opens up a promising route towards highly efficient spin injection and detection. Europium oxide (EuO) is the only magnetic oxide predicted to be stable in direct contact with silicon. A throughout hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy study (see the Letter by Caspers et al. on pp. 441–443) reveals the nearly ideal stoichiometry of EuO “spin filter” tunnel barriers grown by Oxide-MBE, with no silicon oxide or silicide formation being observed at the EuO/Si interface. This result clearly demonstrates the successful integration of a magnetic oxide tunnel barrier with silicon, opening up the future integration of magnetic oxides into functional spintronics devices.