Spin Transport Studies Research Articles

Charge and spin thermoelectric transport in benzene-based molecular nano-junctions: a quantum many-body study.

Within the Coulomb blockade regime, our study delves into the charge, spin, and thermoelectric transport characteristics of a benzene-based molecular nano-junction using the Pauli master equation and linear response theory. The charge- and spin-transport studies show strong negative differential conductance features in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for the ortho and meta connections of electrodes on either side. Contrarily, the para-connection displays Coulomb staircase behavior. By exploring spin current behavior in the presence of spin-polarized electrodes or an external Zeeman field, we establish a methodology that facilitates precise control over the specific spin flow. Various charge and spin thermoelectric transport coefficients have been studied with varying chemical potentials. We focus on spin-polarized conductance, the Seebeck coefficient, and the figure of merit. By adjusting electrode polarization or employing an external magnetic field, we achieve an impressive peak value for the spin thermoelectric figure of merit, approximately 4.10. This outcome underscores the strategic value of harnessing both spin-polarized electrodes and external magnetic fields within the domain of spin caloritronics.

Highly tunable spin Hall magnetoresistance in room-temperature magnetoelectric multiferroic, Sr3Co2Fe24O41|Pt hybrids

We present spin transport studies on a low-field, room-temperature magnetoelectric multiferroic polycrystalline Sr3Co2Fe24O41|Pt heterostructure wherein a highly tunable transverse conical magnetic phase is responsible for static and dynamic magnetoelectric coupling. We measured angular dependence of spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) at constant magnetic fields (H) in the range; 50–100 kOe. Application of field below the critical value (Hc1 ≈ 2.5 kOe), yielded negative SMR and the H-evolution of normalized SMR ((ΔR∕R0) × 100 %) exhibited a negative gradient. Further, an increase in H resulted in the positive slope of (ΔR∕R0) × 100 % Vs. H and later at higher H around 14 kOe, a crossover from negative to positive SMR was observed. We employed a simple model for estimating the equilibrium magnetic configuration and computed the SMR modulation at various values of H. We argue that the tilting of the cone is dominant and in turn responsible for the observed nature of SMR below 2.5 kOe while, the closing of the cone-angle is pronounced at higher fields causing a reversal in sign of the SMR from negative to positive. Importantly, SMR experiments revealed that a change in the helicity with a reversal of the magnetic field has no influence on the observed SMR. Longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE) signal was measured to be ≈ 500 nV at 280 K, under application of thermal gradient, ΔT = 23 K and field, 60 kOe. The observed LSSE signal, originating from pure magnon spin current, showed a similar H-dependent behavior as that of the magnetization of Sr3Co2Fe24O41. Our detailed spin transport studies on polycrystalline Sr3Co2Fe24O41|Pt heterostructure demonstrate high tunability of the amplitude and the sign of the SMR, highlighting its potential for novel spintronic devices such as SMR-based spin valves and voltage-controlled spin transport devices.

Voltage-Controlled Domain Wall Motion-Based Neuron and Stochastic Magnetic Tunnel Junction Synapse for Neuromorphic Computing Applications

This work discusses the proposal of a spintronic neuromorphic system with spin orbit torque-driven domain wall motion (DWM)-based neurons and synapses. We propose a voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy DWM-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) neuron. We investigate how the electric field at the gate (pinning site), generated by the voltage signals from pre-neurons, modulates the DWM, which reflects in the nonlinear switching behavior of neuron magnetization. For the implementation of synaptic weights, we propose a 3-terminal MTJ with stochastic DWM in the free layer. We incorporate intrinsic pinning effects by creating triangular notches on the sides of the free layer. The pinning of the domain wall and intrinsic thermal noise of the device lead to the stochastic behavior of DWM. The control of this stochasticity by the spin orbit torque is shown to realize the potentiation and depression of the synaptic weight. The micromagnetics and spin transport studies in synapses and neurons are carried out by developing a coupled micromagnetic non-equilibrium Green’s function ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">MuMag-NEGF</i> ) model. The minimization of the writing current pulsewidth by leveraging the thermal noise and demagnetization energy is also presented. Finally, we discuss the implementation of digit recognition by the proposed system using a spike time-dependent algorithm.

Intrinsic and extrinsic spin-orbit coupling and spin relaxation in monolayer PtSe2

Monolayer PtSe$_2$ is a semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide characterized by an indirect band gap, space inversion symmetry, and high carrier mobility. Strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling and the possibility to induce extrinsic spin-orbit fields by gating make PtSe$_2$ attractive for fundamental spin transport studies as well as for potential spintronics applications. We perform a systematic theoretical study of the spin-orbit coupling and spin relaxation in this material. Specifically, we employ first principles methods to obtain the basic orbital and spin-orbital properties of PtSe$_2$, also in the presence of an external transverse electric field. We calculate the spin mixing parameters $b^2$ and the spin-orbit fields $\Omega$ for the Bloch states of electrons and holes. This information allows us to predict the spin lifetimes due to the Elliott-Yafet and D'yakonov-Perel mechanisms. We find that $b^2$ is rather large, on the order of $10^{-2}$ and $10^{-1}$, while $\Omega$ varies strongly with doping, being about $10^{3} - 10^{4}$\,ns$^{-1}$ for %typical Fermi levels in the interval $(10-100)$ meV, carrier density in the interval $10^{13}-10^{14}$\,cm$^{-2}$ at the electric field of 1 V/nm. We estimate the spin lifetimes to be on the picosecond level.

Half-metallicity and spin transport studies on quaternary CoCuMnSb Heusler alloy

Herein, the crystalline structure and spin transport properties of CoCuMnSb (CCMS) half-metallic Heusler alloy have been investigated with ab-initio calculations and nonequilibrium Green's function. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that CCMS alloy stabilizes in a highly ordered LiMgPdSn-type structure with lattice parameters of a = 6.113 Å and α = 90°, which match well with the reported lattice parameters of GaSb. Furthermore, the theoretical calculations indicate that CCMS exhibits perfect polarized spin at the Fermi level. Therefore, we have designed CCMS/GaSb heterostructure and CCMS/GaSb/CCMS magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Our architecture exhibits effective spin filtering and the MTJ produces a dramatic magnetoresistance ratio (~445). These outstanding properties marks CCMS as a strong system for applications in spintronics.

Nanosecond spin lifetimes in bottom-up fabricated bilayer graphene spin-valves with atomic layer deposited Al2O3 spin injection and detection barriers

We present spin transport studies on bi- and trilayer graphene non-local spin-valves which have been fabricated by a bottom-up fabrication method. By this technique, spin injection electrodes are first deposited onto Si$^{++}$/SiO$_2$ substrates with subsequent mechanical transfer of a graphene/hBN heterostructure. We showed previously that this technique allows for nanosecond spin lifetimes at room temperature combined with carrier mobilities which exceed 20,000 cm$^2$/(Vs). Despite strongly enhanced spin and charge transport properties, the MgO injection barriers in these devices exhibit conducting pinholes which still limit the measured spin lifetimes. We demonstrate that these pinholes can be partially diminished by an oxygen treatment of a trilayer graphene device which is seen by a strong increase of the contact resistance area products of the Co/MgO electrodes. At the same time, the spin lifetime increases from 1 ns to 2 ns. We believe that the pinholes partially result from the directional growth in molecular beam epitaxy. For a second set of devices, we therefore used atomic layer deposition of Al$_2$O$_3$ which offers the possibility to isotropically deposit more homogeneous barriers. While the contacts of the as-fabricated bilayer graphene devices are non-conductive, we can partially break the oxide barriers by voltage pulses. Thereafter, the devices also exhibit nanosecond spin lifetimes.

Bond length and electric current oscillation of long linear carbon chains: Density functional theory, MpB model, and quantum spin transport studies

Carbon linear atomic chains attached to graphene have experimentally been produced. Motivated by these results, we study the nature of the carbon bonds in these nanowires and how it affects their electrical properties. In the present study we investigate chains with different numbers of atoms and we observe that nanowires with odd number of atoms present a distinct behavior than the ones with even numbers. Using graphene nanoribbons as leads, we identify differences in the quantum transport of the chains with the consequence that even and odd numbered chains have low and high electrical conduction, respectively. We also noted a dependence of current with the wire size. We study this unexpected behavior using a combination of first principles calculations and simple models based on chemical bond theory. From our studies, the electrons of carbon nanowires present a quasi-free electron behavior and this explains qualitatively the high electrical conduction and the bond lengths with unexpected values for the case of odd nanowires. Our study also allows the understanding of the electric conduction dependence with the number of atoms and their parity in the chain. In the case of odd number chains a proposed π-bond (MpB) model describes unsaturated carbons that introduce a mobile π-bond that changes dramatically the structure and transport properties of these wires. Our results indicate that the nature of bonds plays the main role in the oscillation of quantum electrical conduction for chains with even and odd number of atoms and also that nanowires bonded to graphene nanoribbons behave as a quasi-free electron system, suggesting that this behavior is general and it could also remain if the chains are bonded to other materials.

Electron and spin transport studies of gated lateral organic devices

In view of the many, often contradictory, reports of magneto-resistance (MR) in spin valve stacks containing a layer of organic semiconductor, mostly of the small molecule variety, we have investigated interdigitated lateral structures with an organic layer deposited in the narrow gap between two ferromagnetic electrodes, which are well-suited for studying charge and spin transport in novel (high resistivity) semiconducting materials. For the channel material we used three different organic semiconductors, the small molecule tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3), single crystals of pentacene, and the conductive polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The channel length was 80 nm. Temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics reveal that in all instances the current is limited by field-assisted thermionic injection over an energy barrier at the metal/organic interface. No measurable magneto-resistance was observed down to 7 K. The interface energy barrier, together with the vastly different electronic structure of metals and organics close to the Fermi level, preclude spin injection. Nonetheless, unlike the case of inorganic semiconductors, the insertion of an artificial tunnel barrier at the contact did not improve spin injection. Gate-dependent measurements exhibited short-channel effects and transistor operation with on/off ratios of 103, but no magneto-resistance. We suggest the observations are a consequence of the formation of bipolaron-states at increasing carrier concentration.

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of fluorinated phthalocyanine molecules on magnetic metal surfaces

Electronic structures of fluorinated cobalt phthalocyanine molecules (CoPcF16) on cobalt films have been studied by low temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The differential conductance spectra measured on a single CoPcF16 showed two peaks around the Fermi level. These electronic features are considered as adsorption-induced states caused by the interaction between the fluorinated phthalocyanine macrocycle and the Co surfaces. The CoPcF16/Co system would be a good candidate for spin-transport studies of single molecule spintronics devices because these adsorption-induced states act as a carrier- and spin-path of the devices.

Magnetic Tunnel Junctions with Magnesium Oxide Barriers

Spin dependent tunneling has enormously activated the field of magnetism in general, and in particular spin transport studies, in the past ten years. Thousands of articles related to the subject have appeared with many fundamental results. Importantly, there is great interest in their potential for application. There was another surge of activity in this field since the past five years - created by the theoretical prediction of a large tunnel magnetoresistance that arises due to band symmetry matched coherent tunneling in epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions with (001) MgO barrier and experimentally well demonstrated. This further development in the field has boosted the excitement in both fundamental science as well as the possibility of application in such as magnetic random access memory, ultra sensitive read heads, biosensors and spin torque diodes. This review is a brief coverage of the field highlighting the literature that deals with magnetic tunnel junctions having epitaxial MgO tunnel barriers.

Increase of magnetic damping in thin polycrystalline Fe films induced by Cu/Fe overlayers

The ferromagnetic resonance properties of thin polycrystalline layers in the sequence Cu/Fe/Cu/Fe/Cu, grown on Si wafers, were studied. Fe grown on Cu can have a very narrow ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidth. Similar structures are of interest for spin transport studies and for giant magnetoresonance applications. The thinner Fe underlayer ranged from 2 to 5 nm, the intermediate Cu spacer thickness from 2 to 10 nm, and the Fe outer layer was 20 nm thick. The increased damping of the thinner Fe layer in this structure, as reflected in the FMR linewidths observed at 9.46 and 33.5 GHz, is similar to that predicted by Berger and recently observed experimentally using epitaxial single crystal Fe films. In addition to confirming the 1/(Fe layer thickness) dependence of the additional damping, the present measurements show a decrease of damping with increasing Cu spacer thickness, implying a short spin transport decay length in our Cu of about 3.5 nm. The linewidth in isolated Cu/Fe/Cu layers also increased with decreasing Fe thickness, as predicted and observed in some other cases. Magnetization data indicate negligible magnetic coupling of the Fe layers except for the smallest interlayer Cu thicknesses used. The linewidths studied increased moderately with cooling to 77 K.