Spin-dependent transport in single-electron devices

Abstract

Ultrasmall systems called quantum dots (QDs) and single-electron transistors, where Coulomb interaction (Coulomb blockade) plays an important role, are very interesting and promising devices, which allow for control and manipulation of a single spin. With quantum dots, due to the control of a single electron charge, the possibility for manipulation of a single spin is opened up, which can be important for spintronics and quantum computing. On the level of a few spins, the new physics related to exchange interaction, spin blockade, Larmor precession, electron spin resonance (ESR), the Kondo effect, and hyperfine interactions with nuclear spins is raised. Also combining ferromagnetic materials with QDs opens up a new possibility of control and manipulation of a QD single spin by direct exchange interactions and construction of ferromagnetic single-electron transistors (F-SET).