Nonlocal Spin Transport Research Articles

Microscopic studies of nonlocal spin dynamics and spin transport (invited)

Understanding the behavior of spins coupling across interfaces in the study of spin current generation and transport is a fundamental challenge that is important for spintronics applications. The transfer of spin angular momentum from a ferromagnet into an adjacent normal material as a consequence of the precession of the magnetization of the ferromagnet is a process known as spin pumping. We find that, in certain circumstances, the insertion of an intervening normal metal can enhance spin pumping between an excited ferromagnetic magnetization and a normal metal layer as a consequence of improved spin conductance matching. We have studied this using inverse spin Hall effect and enhanced damping measurements. Scanned probe magnetic resonance techniques are a complementary tool in this context offering high resolution magnetic resonance imaging, localized spin excitation, and direct measurement of spin lifetimes or damping. Localized magnetic resonance studies of size-dependent spin dynamics in the absence of lithographic confinement in both ferromagnets and paramagnets reveal the close relationship between spin transport and spin lifetime at microscopic length scales. Finally, detection of ferromagnetic resonance of a ferromagnetic film using the photoluminescence of nitrogen vacancy spins in neighboring nanodiamonds demonstrates long-range spin transport between insulating materials, indicating the complexity and generality of spin transport in diverse, spatially separated, material systems.

Spin transport in graphene nanostructures

Graphene is an interesting material for spintronics, showing long spin relaxation lengths even at room temperature. For future spintronic devices it is important to understand the behavior of the spins and the limitations for spin transport in structures where the dimensions are smaller than the spin relaxation length. However, the study of spin injection and transport in graphene nanostructures is highly unexplored. Here we study the spin injection and relaxation in nanostructured graphene with dimensions smaller than the spin relaxation length. For graphene nanoislands, where the edge length to area ratio is much higher than for standard devices, we show that enhanced spin-flip processes at the edges do not seem to play a major role in the spin relaxation. On the other hand, contact induced spin relaxation has a much more dramatic effect for these low dimensional structures. By studying the nonlocal spin transport through a graphene quantum dot we observe that the obtained values for spin relaxation are dominated by the connecting graphene islands and not by the quantum dot itself. Using a simple model we argue that future nonlocal Hanle precession measurements can obtain a more significant value for the spin relaxation time for the quantum dot by using high spin polarization contacts in combination with low tunneling rates.

Spintronics with graphene-hexagonal boron nitride van der Waals heterostructures

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a large bandgap insulating isomorph of graphene, ideal for atomically thin tunnel barrier applications. In this letter, we demonstrate large area chemical vapor deposited (CVD) h-BN as a promising spin tunnel barrier in graphene spin transport devices. In such structures, the ferromagnetic tunnel contacts with h-BN barrier are found to show robust tunneling characteristics over a large scale with resistances in the favorable range for efficient spin injection into graphene. The non-local spin transport and precession experiments reveal spin lifetime ≈500 ps and spin diffusion length ≈1.6 μm in graphene with tunnel spin polarization ≈11% at 100 K. The electrical and spin transport measurements at different injection bias current and gate voltages confirm tunnel spin injection through h-BN barrier. These results open up possibilities for implementation of large area CVD h-BN in spintronic technologies.

Manifestation of two-channel nonlocal spin transport in the shapes of Hanle curves

Dynamics of charge-density fluctuations in a system of two tunnel-coupled wires contains two diffusion modes with dispersion iw=Dq^2 and iw =Dq^2+2/tau_t, where D is the diffusion coefficient and tau_t is the tunneling time between the wires. The dispersion of corresponding spin-density modes depends on magnetic field as a result of spin precession with Larmour frequency, w_L. The presence of two modes affects the shape of the Hanle curve describing the spin-dependent resistance, R, between ferromagnetic strips covering the non-magnetic wires. We demonstrate that the relative shapes of the R(w_L)-curves, one measured within the same wire and the other measured between the wires, depends on the ratio tau_t/tau_s, where tau_s is the spin-diffusion time. If the coupling between the wires is local, i.e. only at the point x=0, then the difference of the shapes of intra-wire and inter-wire Hanle curves reflects the difference in statistics of diffusive trajectories which "switch" or do not switch near x=0. When one of the coupled wires is bent into a loop with a radius, a, the shape of the Hanle curve reflects the statistics of random walks on the loop. This statistics is governed by the dimensionless parameter, a/(D tau_s)^(1/2).

(Invited) Spin Transport in Germanium

I will review the work leading to the first demonstration of spin transport in germanium. This includes the development of Fe/MgO/Ge(001) junctions by molecular beam epitaxy, characterization of Schottky barriers at this junction, and the fabrication of germanium lateral spin valves consisting of a Ge spin transport channel and Fe/MgO electrodes. We employ the nonlocal spin transport geometry to isolate pure spin currents (without net charge currents) that flow from the spin injector to the spin detector. Most importantly, we are able to provide the unambiguous proof of spin transport by observing the Hanle spin precession in the nonlocal geometry. We compare the results with three-terminal Hanle measurements and discuss a new future direction for spintronics research using a two-dimensional form of germanium known as germanane.

Kondo physics in non-local metallic spin transport devices.

The non-local spin-valve is pivotal in spintronics, enabling separation of charge and spin currents, disruptive potential applications and the study of pressing problems in the physics of spin injection and relaxation. Primary among these problems is the perplexing non-monotonicity in the temperature-dependent spin accumulation in non-local ferromagnetic/non-magnetic metal structures, where the spin signal decreases at low temperatures. Here we show that this effect is strongly correlated with the ability of the ferromagnetic to form dilute local magnetic moments in the NM. This we achieve by studying a significantly expanded range of ferromagnetic/non-magnetic combinations. We argue that local moments, formed by ferromagnetic/non-magnetic interdiffusion, suppress the injected spin polarization and diffusion length via a manifestation of the Kondo effect, thus explaining all observations. We further show that this suppression can be completely quenched, even at interfaces that are highly susceptible to the effect, by insertion of a thin non-moment-supporting interlayer.

Thermal engineering of non-local resistance in lateral spin valves

We study the non-local spin transport in Permalloy/Cu lateral spin valves (LSVs) fabricated on thermally oxidized Si and MgO substrates. While these LSVs show the same magnitude of spin signals, significant substrate dependence of the baseline resistance was observed. The baseline resistance shows much weaker dependence on the inter-electrode distance than that of the spin transport observed in the Cu wires. A simple analysis of voltage-current characteristics in the baseline resistance indicates the observed result can be explained by a combination of the Peltier and Seebeck effects at the injector and detector junctions, suggesting the usage of high thermal conductivity substrate (or under-layer) is effective to reduce the baseline resistance.

Current-based detection of nonlocal spin transport in graphene for spin-based logic applications

Graphene has been proposed for novel spintronic devices due to its robust and efficient spin transport properties at room temperature. Some of the most promising proposals require current-based readout for integration purposes, but the current-based detection of spin accumulation has not yet been developed. In this work, we demonstrate current-based detection of spin transport in graphene using a modified nonlocal geometry. By adding a variable shunt resistor in parallel to the nonlocal voltmeter, we are able to systematically cross over from the conventional voltage-based detection to current-based detection. As the shunt resistor is reduced, the output current from the spin accumulation increases as the shunt resistance drops below a characteristic value R*. We analyze this behavior using a one-dimensional drift-diffusion model, which accounts well for the observed behavior. These results provide the experimental and theoretical foundation for current-based detection of nonlocal spin transport.

Greatly enhanced generation efficiency of pure spin currents in Ge using Heusler compound Co2FeSi electrodes

We show nonlocal spin transport in n-Ge-based lateral spin-valve devices with highly ordered Co2FeSi/n+-Ge Schottky tunnel contacts. Clear spin-valve signals and Hanle effect curves are demonstrated at low temperatures, indicating the generation, manipulation, and detection of pure spin currents in n-Ge. The obtained spin generation efficiency of ∼0.12 is about two orders of magnitude larger than that for a previously reported device with Fe/MgO tunnel barrier contacts. Considering the spin-related behavior with temperature evolution, we infer that it is necessary to simultaneously demonstrate a high spin generation efficiency and improve the quality of the transport channel to realize Ge-based spintronic devices.

Thermal gradient driven enhancement of pure spin current at room temperature in nonlocal spin transport devices

Thermal gradient driven enhancement of pure spin current at room temperature in nonlocal spin transport devices

Integrating MBE materials with graphene to induce novel spin-based phenomena

Magnetism in graphene is an emerging field that has received much theoretical attention. In particular, there have been exciting predictions for induced magnetism through proximity to a ferromagnetic insulator as well as through localized dopants and defects. Here, the authors discuss their experimental work using molecular beam epitaxy to modify the surface of graphene and induce novel spin-dependent phenomena. First, they investigate the epitaxial growth of the ferromagnetic insulator EuO on graphene and discuss possible scenarios for realizing exchange splitting and exchange fields by ferromagnetic insulators. Second, they investigate the properties of magnetic moments in graphene originating from localized pz-orbital defects (i.e., adsorbed hydrogen atoms). The behavior of these magnetic moments is studied using nonlocal spin transport to directly probe the spin-degree of freedom of the defect-induced states. They also report the presence of enhanced electron g-factors caused by the exchange fields present in the system. Importantly, the exchange field is found to be highly gate dependent, with decreasing g-factors with increasing carrier densities.

Long Spin Relaxation Times in Wafer Scale Epitaxial Graphene on SiC(0001)

We developed an easy, upscalable process to prepare lateral spin-valve devices on epitaxially grown monolayer graphene on SiC(0001) and perform nonlocal spin transport measurements. We observe the longest spin relaxation times τ(S) in monolayer graphene, while the spin diffusion coefficient D(S) is strongly reduced compared to typical results on exfoliated graphene. The increase of τ(S) is probably related to the changed substrate, while the cause for the small value of D(S) remains an open question.

Nonlocal spin transport in single-walled carbon nanotube networks

Spin transport in carbon-based materials has stimulated much interest due to their ballistic conductance and a long phase coherence length. While much research has been conducted on individual carbon nanotubes, current growth and placement techniques are incompatible with large-scale fabrication. Here we report nonlocal spin injection and detection in single wall carbon nanotube networks. We observe spin transport over a distance of 1 um, and extract a spin diffusion length of 1.6 - 2.4 um with an injected spin polarization from CoFe into nanotube network of 18 - 41%. Our observations demonstrate that spin transport is possible in carbon nanotube networks due to the formation of natural tunnel barriers between nanotubes and metallic contacts.

Fast electrical switching of spin injection in nonlocal spin transport devices

We present spin-injection experiments in a nonlocal spin transport device where spin is injected from a ferromagnetic FeCo electrode into a GaAs epilayer. The magnetization of the injection contact is switched by Oersted fields generated by alternating current pulses. This enables fast and offset-free measurements of nonlocal spin signals. Due to a negligible time-averaged electron spin polarization, dynamic nuclear polarization effects are small and Hanle curves measured down to T=3 K can be fit very accurately by drift-diffusion theory if a small constant Overhauser field BN=0.4 mT is accounted for.

Ferromagnetic resonance studies of accumulation and diffusion of spin momentum density in Fe/Ag/Fe/GaAs(001) and Ag/Fe/GaAs(001) structures

Spin transport was investigated in magnetic single $\text{GaAs}/16\text{ }\text{Fe}/m\text{Ag}/20\text{ }\text{Au}(001)$ and double $\text{GaAs}/16\text{ }\text{Fe}/n\text{Ag}/12\text{ }\text{Fe}/20\text{ }\text{Au}(001)$ layer structures prepared by molecular-beam epitaxy, where $m=0,5,20,1500$ and $n=20,100,300,500,1500$. The integers represent the number of Fe, Ag, and Au atomic layers, respectively. The set of Ag spacers in magnetic double layers allowed one to investigate nonlocal spin transport from ballistic to fully developed spin-diffusion limit. The spin transport in these structures was investigated using spin pumping effect at the 16Fe/Ag(001) interface. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies were carried out using standard microwave spectrometers at 9, 36, and 72 GHz. The FMR linewidth $\ensuremath{\Delta}H$ in the above structures was found to follow Gilbert damping mechanism. The measured $\ensuremath{\Delta}H$ as a function of the Ag spacer thickness in $\text{GaAs}/16\text{ }\text{Fe}/n\text{ }\text{Ag}/12\text{ }\text{Fe}/20\text{ }\text{Au}(001)$ was interpreted using Kirchhoff's laws for spin electronics which includes the spin diffusion across the Ag spacer allowing one to determine the electron charge and spin-flip time scattering parameters and the spin-diffusion length in the Ag thin-film spacers.

Multiterminal spin-dependent transport in ballistic carbon nanotubes

We study theoretically nonlocal spin transport in a ballistic carbon nanotube contacted to two ferromagnetic leads and two normal-metal leads. When the magnetizations of the two ferromagnets are changed from a parallel to an antiparallel configuration, the circuit shows a hysteretic behavior which is specific to the few-channel regime. In the coherent limit, the amplitude of the magnetic signals is strongly enhanced due to resonance effects occurring inside the nanotube. Our calculations pave the way for experiments on low-dimensional nonlocal spin transport, which should give results remarkably different from the experiments realized so far in the multichannel diffusive incoherent regime.

Nonlocal Spin Transport in Lateral Spin Valves with Multiple Ferromagnetic Electrodes

We study the nonlocal spin transport in a lateral spin valve with multiple ferromagnetic (FM) electrodes. When two current-injecting and two spin current-detecting electrodes are all ferromagnetic, the number of possible nonlocal spin signal states is four at maximum. In reality, this number is reduced, depending on the inter-probe distance and the relative magnitudes of the spin resistances. Our theoretical results are in agreement with recent experiments of spin injection into an Al island, a carbon nanotube, and graphene.

Spin Current in Metals and Superconductors

The nonlocal spin transport in a nanostructure device consisting of ferromagnetic spin injector (F1) and spin detector (F2) electrodes connected to a normal conductor (N) or a superconductor (SC) is discussed. We explore how the spin transport in such a device depends on the nature of interface (metallic-contact or tunnel junction) and material parameters of electrodes by solving the spin-dependent transport equations, and obtain the conditions for efficient spin injection, spin accumulation, and spin current. In a device with SC, the spin transport is strongly affected by the onset of superconductivity. Nonlocal Spin Hall effect in metals and SCs are investigated. A superconducting qubit with a π junction is discussed.