Spin-polarized Electron Transport Research Articles

Electric field-dependent photoexcited spin-polarized electron transport in Bi2Se3 topological insulator

Three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) exhibit spin-polarized surface states in which the spin of electrons is locked to their momentum. The helical surface states can be explored from circularly polarized light-induced spin photocurrent, a phenomenon called circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE). In this work, we fabricate a TI transistor with the Bi2Se3 channel layer synthesized using vapor deposition. The photocurrent response of Bi2Se3 TI is characterized under horizontal and longitudinal electric fields. CPGE and linear photogalvanic effect (LPGE) contribute to the surface state photocurrent at room temperature. The longitudinal electric field provides kinetic energy to the electrons so that the transition of electrons to higher energy bands in momentum space occurs. Under a photon excitation with the energy far above the TI bandgap, we observed a photocurrent difference between left and right circularly polarized light excitation. The photocurrent variation with gate voltage (longitudinal field) is also investigated. Adjusting the Fermi level with the gate bias leads to changes in the population of bulk state carriers and spin electrons in surface states. By shifting the gate bias toward negative, the CPGE current increases because of the reduced scattering with bulk carriers. Our work reveals that longitudinal and horizontal electric fields can manipulate the helical spin-polarized photocurrent of Bi2Se3. From the asymmetry of circularly polarized photoconductive differential current (CPDC) under the horizontal field, we found evidence of spin-polarized electron transition to other conduction band valleys at room temperature under a high-energy photon excitation.

Exploiting the Close-to-Dirac Point Shift of the Fermi Level in the Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 Topological Insulator Heterostructure for Spin-Charge Conversion.

Properly tuning the Fermi level position in topological insulators is of vital importance to tailor their spin-polarized electronic transport and to improve the efficiency of any functional device based on them. Here, we report the full in situ metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and study of a highly crystalline Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 topological insulator heterostructure on top of large area (4″) Si(111) substrates. The bottom Sb2Te3 layer serves as an ideal seed layer for the growth of highly crystalline Bi2Te3 on top, also inducing a remarkable shift of the Fermi level to place it very close to the Dirac point, as visualized by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. To exploit such ideal topologically protected surface states, we fabricate the simple spin-charge converter Si(111)/Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3/Au/Co/Au and probe the spin-charge conversion (SCC) by spin pumping ferromagnetic resonance. A large SCC is measured at room temperature and is interpreted within the inverse Edelstein effect, thus resulting in a conversion efficiency of λIEEE ∼ 0.44 nm. Our results demonstrate the successful tuning of the surface Fermi level of Bi2Te3 when grown on top of Sb2Te3 with a full in situ MOCVD process, which is highly interesting in view of its future technology transfer.

Spin-polarized Majorana zero modes in proximitized superconducting penta-silicene nanoribbons

We theoretically propose penta-silicene nanoribbons (p-SiNRs) with induced p-wave superconductivity as a platform for the emergence of spin-polarized Majorana zero-modes (MZMs). The model explicitly considers the key ingredients of well-known Majorana hybrid nanowire setups: Rashba spin-orbit coupling, magnetic field perpendicular to the nanoribbon plane, and first nearest neighbor hopping with p-wave superconducting pairing. The energy spectrum of the system, as a function of chemical potential, reveals the existence of MZMs with a well-defined spin orientation localized at the opposite ends of both the top and bottom chains of the p-SiNR, associated with well-localized and nonoverlapping wave function profiles. Well-established experimental techniques enable the fabrication of highly ordered p-SiNRs, complemented by a thin lead film on top, responsible for inducing p-wave superconductivity through proximity effect. Moreover, the emergence of MZMs with explicit opposite spin orientations for some set of model parameters opens a new avenue for exploring quantum computing operations, which accounts for both MZMs and spin properties, as well as for new MZMs probe devices based on spin-polarized electronic transport mechanisms.

High transport spin polarization in the van der Waals ferromagnet Fe4GeTe2

The challenging task of scaling down the size of the power saving electronic devices can be accomplished by exploiting the spin degree of freedom of the conduction electrons in van der Waals (vdW) spintronic architectures built with 2D materials. One of the key components of such a device is a near-room temperature 2D ferromagnet with good metallicity that can generate a highly spin-polarized electronic transport current. However, most of the known 2D ferromagnets have either a very low-temperature ordering, poor conductivity, or low spin polarization. In this context, the ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{n}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ (with $n\ensuremath{\ge}3$) family of ferromagnets stand out due to their near-room temperature ferromagnetism and good metallicity. We have performed spin-resolved Andreev reflection spectroscopy on ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ (${T}_{\mathrm{Curie}}\ensuremath{\sim}273\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$) and demonstrated that the ferromagnet is capable of generating a very high transport spin polarization, exceeding $50%$. This makes ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ a strong candidate for application in all-vdW power-saving spintronic devices.

Tunable magnetic anisotropy, half-metallicity and tunneling magnetoresistance effect of 2D CrI3 in CrI3/MnGeX3 (X = Se, Te) heterostructures under normal compressive strain

The induction of half-metallicity and tunable magnetic anisotropy of CrI3 monolayers remains challenging and unstable. In this study, we demonstrate that half-metallic CrI3 can be induced in a CrI3/MnGeX3(X = Se, Te) heterostructure. Normal compressive (NC) strain can effectively control the half-metallic band gap and spin-polarized electronic transport of CrI3 in CrI3/MnGeSe3. At 6% strain, the half-metallic band gap and equilibrium tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) increases by 25% and 220%. The results of band structure, force theorem, charge density and work function calculations show that CrI3 in CrI3/MnGeSe3 loses electrons to form a hole-conducting half-metal with in-plane easy magnetization axis, while CrI3 gains electrons in CrI3/MnGeTe3 to form an electron-conducting half-metal with out-of-plane easy magnetization axis. Heterointerfacial half-metallicity in CrI3 is intrinsic without any external physical modification, and the NC strain of a two-dimensional structure can easily be realized experimentally, paving the way for further research of spintronic devices.

Theoretical study on spin-dependent zigzag-direction thermoelectric transport properties of Mn-doped blue phosphorene

With the increasing demand for energy, it has become imperative to investigate the thermoelectric properties that can be beneficial to directly converting heat into electric energy. Here, we theoretically study the thermoelectric transport of the Mn-doped blue phosphorene (blue-P) along the zigzag direction. We show that the spin-polarized electronic transport in the blue-P can be produced by the Mn-doping induced half-metallic energy band structure, and the Seebeck coefficients can take positive and negative values, indicating that the main carriers may be holes and electrons. Thus, the spin-down, spin, and charge Seebeck coefficients show a high peak and a deep valley, while the spin and charge thermoelectric figures of merit show two wide peaks. Moreover, the spin and charge thermoelectric figures of merit are found to be so large that the Mn-doped blue-P along the zigzag direction can be used as good thermoelectric materials. In addition, we consider the effect of the doping concentration on the electronic structure and thermoelectric transport properties. This research should be an important reference for designing spin caloritronic and thermoelectric devices.

Spin polarization in quantum point contact based on wurtzite topological quantum well.

Manipulating spin polarization in wide-gap wurtzite semiconductors is crucial for the development of high-temperature spintronics applications. A topological insulator revealed recently in wurtzite quantum wells (QWs) provides a platform to mediate spin-polarized transport through the polarization field-driven topological edges and large Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Here, we propose a spin-polarized device in a quantum point contact (QPC) structure based on ZnO/CdO wurtzite topological QWs. The results show that the QPC width can sufficiently control the lateral spin-orbit coupling (SOC) as well as the band gap of the edge states through the quantum size effect. As a result, the spin-polarized conductance exhibits oscillation due to the spin precession, which can be controlled by adjusting the voltage imposed on the split gate. The QPC-induced large spin splitting is highly nonlinear and becomes strong close to the gap. The spin splitting of the edge states will be suppressed for QPC widths greater than 50 nm, and thus lead to an extremely long spin precession length. This QPC width-dependent lateral SOC effect provides an emerging electrical approach to manipulate spin-polarized electron transport in topological wurtzite systems.

A spintronic analog of the Landauer residual resistivity dipole on the surface of a topological insulator containing a line defect *

The Landauer ‘residual resistivity dipole’ is a well-known concept in electron transport through a disordered medium. It is formed when a defect/scatterer reflects an impinging electron causing negative charges to build up on one side of the scatterer and positive charges on the other. This charge imbalance results in the formation of a microscopic electric dipole that affects the electrical resistivity of the medium. Here, we show that an equivalent entity forms in spin polarized electron transport on the surface of a real topological insulator (TI) such as Bi2Te3 containing a line defect. When electrons reflect from such a scatterer, a local spin imbalance forms owing to spin accumulation on one side and depletion on the other side of the scatterer, resulting in a spin current that flows either in the same or in the opposite direction as the injected spin current, and hence, either decreases or increases the spin resistivity. Spatially varying local magnetic fields appear in the vicinity of the scatter, which will cause transiting spins to precess and emit electromagnetic waves. If the current injected into the TI is an alternating current, then the magnetic field’s polarity will oscillate in time with the frequency of the current and if the spins can follow quasi-statically, then they will radiate electromagnetic waves of the same frequency, thereby making the scatterer act as a miniature antenna.

Spin-polarized hot electron transport versus spin pumping mediated by local heating

A ‘toy model’—aimed at capturing the essential physics—is presented that jointly describes spin-polarized hot electron transport and spin pumping driven by local heating. These two processes both contribute to spin-current generation in laser-excited magnetic heterostructures. The model is used to compare the two contributions directly. The spin-polarized hot electron current is modeled as one generation of hot electrons with a spin-dependent excitation and relaxation scheme. Upon decay, the excess energy of the hot electrons is transferred to a thermalized electron bath. The elevated electron temperature leads to an increased rate of electron-magnon scattering processes and yields a local accumulation of spin. This process is dubbed as spin pumping by local heating. The built-up spin accumulation is effectively driven out of the ferromagnetic system by (interfacial) electron transport. Within our model, the injected spin current is dominated by the contribution resulting from spin pumping, while the hot electron spin current remains relatively small. We derive that this observation is related to the ratio between the Fermi temperature and Curie temperature, and we show what other fundamental parameters play a role.

Controlling anisotropic properties by manipulating the orientation of chiral small molecules.

Chiral π-conjugated molecules bring new functionality to technological applications and represent an exciting, rapidly expanding area of research. Their functional properties, such as the absorption and emission of circularly polarized light or the transport of spin-polarized electrons, are highly anisotropic. As a result, the orientation of chiral molecules critically determines the functionality and efficiency of chiral devices. Here we present a strategy to control the orientation of a small chiral molecule (2,2'-dicyano[6]helicene) by the use of organic and inorganic templating layers. Such templating layers can either force 2,2'-dicyano[6]helicene to adopt a face-on orientation and self-assemble into upright supramolecular columns oriented with their helical axis perpendicular to the substrate, or an edge-on orientation with parallel-lying supramolecular columns. Through such control, we show that low- and high-energy chiroptical responses can be independently 'turned on' or 'turned off'. The templating methodologies described here provide a simple way to engineer orientational control and, by association, anisotropic functional properties of chiral molecular systems for a range of emerging technologies.

DFT Analysis of Hydrogenated Zigzag Aluminum Nitride Nanoribbons for Spintronic Devices

Density functional theory (DFT) and nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) framework are used to explore the structural, spin-polarized electronic, and spin-based transport properties of edge-hydrogenated zigzag aluminum nitride nanoribbons (ZAlNNRs). The proposed ZAlNNR is observed to be structurally stable and exhibits half-metallic nature in the magnetic state. The quantum transport property of the proposed two-terminal device model of 1H-AlN-1H demonstrates the bipolar spin-filter characteristics along with giant magnetoresistance (GMR), spin-based peak to valley current ratio (spin-PVCR), and spin-based rectification ratio (spin-RR) of the order of 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">15</sup> , 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">12</sup> , and 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">8</sup> , respectively. The calculated GMR and spin-RR of the 1H-AlN-1H device are 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">7</sup> and 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> times higher than zigzag silicene nanoribbon (ZSiNR) and doped-zigzag graphene nanoribbon (doped ZGNR), respectively. The observed GMR, spin-PVCR, and spin-rectifying behavior of the reported ZAlNNR device could be deployed for multifunctional spintronic device applications.

KTaO3 -The New Kid on the Spintronics Block.

Long after the heady days of high-temperature superconductivity, the oxides came back into the limelight in 2004 with the discovery of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) in SrTiO3 (STO) and several heterostructures based on it. Not only do these materials exhibit interesting physics, but they have also opened up new vistas in oxide electronics and spintronics. However, much of the attention has recently shifted to KTaO3 (KTO), a material with all the "good" properties of STO (simple cubic structure, high mobility, etc.) but with the additional advantage of a much larger spin-orbit coupling. In this state-of-the-art review of the fascinating world of KTO, it is attempted to cover the remarkable progress made, particularly in the last five years. Certain unsolved issues are also indicated, while suggesting future research directions as well as potential applications. The range of physical phenomena associated with the 2DEG trapped at the interfaces of KTO-based heterostructures include spin polarization, superconductivity, quantum oscillations in the magnetoresistance, spin-polarized electron transport, persistent photocurrent, Rashba effect, topological Hall effect, and inverse Edelstein Effect. It is aimed to discuss, on a single platform, the various fabrication techniques, the exciting physical properties and future application possibilities of this family of materials.

Chiral-induced spin selectivity: A polaron transport model

Weak hyperfine interactions and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in organic materials result in long spin lifetimes, which is very promising for spintronics. On the other hand, they also make it challenging to achieve spin polarization, which is of crucial importance for spintronics devices. To overcome this obstacle, we have proposed a physical model for spin-polarized electron transport through a chiral molecule based on the chiral-induced spin selectivity. Because the transport in the chiral molecule is not an isolated one, but rather an electron coupled to its surrounding lattice distortions, namely, a spatial localized polaron, an indispensable polaron effect is incorporated in our model. We show that the polaron transport through the chiral molecule exhibits a spin-momentum-locked feature. Interestingly, no matter what their initial spin state is, all of the polarons could transmit through the molecule with their spins being aligned to the same orientation due to the effective ``inverse Faraday effect.'' The coexistence of the electron-lattice coupling and SOC results in the spin and lattice being coupled, which leads to a strongly enhanced spin coherence and then a very high spin polarization of $70%$. In addition, the effects of the helix pitch, polaron size, and drift velocity on spin polarization are also discussed. Our results open the possibility of using chiral molecules in spintronics applications and offer a paradigm for information processing and transmission.

Influence of Electronic Structure Modeling and Junction Structure on First-Principles Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity.

We have carried out a comprehensive study of the influence of electronic structure modeling and junction structure description on the first-principles calculation of the spin polarization in molecular junctions caused by the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. We explore the limits and the sensitivity to modeling decisions of a Landauer/Green's function/two-component density functional theory approach to CISS. We find that although the CISS effect is entirely attributed in the literature to molecular spin filtering, spin-orbit coupling being partially inherited from the metal electrodes plays an important role in our calculations on ideal carbon helices, even though this effect cannot explain the experimental conductance results. Its magnitude depends considerably on the shape, size, and material of the metal clusters modeling the electrodes. Also, a pronounced dependence on the specific description of exchange interaction and spin-orbit coupling is manifest in our approach. This is important because the interplay between exchange effects and spin-orbit coupling may play an important role in the description of the junction magnetic response. Our calculations are relevant for the whole field of spin-polarized electron transport and electron transfer, because there is still an open discussion in the literature about the detailed underlying mechanism and the magnitude of physical parameters that need to be included to achieve a consistent description of the CISS effect: seemingly good quantitative agreement between simulation and the experiment can be caused by error compensation, because spin polarization as contained in a Landauer/Green's function/two-component density functional theory approach depends strongly on computational and structural parameters.

Asymmetric spin relaxation induced by residual electron spin in semiconductor quantum-dot-superlattice hybrid nanosystem

Asymmetric spin relaxation induced by the residual electron spin in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) adjacent to a superlattice (SL) was studied using spin- and time-resolved photoluminescence under the selective photoexcitation of the SL miniband states. Spin-polarized electrons were photoexcited in the SL barrier and then injected into the QDs through spin-conserving tunneling. The spin-polarized electron transport and the faster transport of the electrons as compared to the holes generate the residual majority electron spins in the QDs. A reversal of the optical spin polarity was observed at the ground state of the QDs, depending on the excitation powers. A rate equation analysis considering the individual spin-flip times between spin-split QD states indicates that the polarity reversal originates from the asymmetric spin-flip process at the excited state of the QDs. The asymmetric spin relaxation is associated with the selective relaxation of the spin-flipped electron and hole to the unoccupied ground state, which is induced by the existence of the residual majority electron spin at this state. In addition, we observed a clear recovery of the optical spin polarity by eliminating the existence of the residual electron spin through heavy p-doping. These findings are important to attain a fundamental understanding of the spin relaxation mechanism within the QDs and provide an insight into the manipulation of the optical spin polarity by controlling the residual electron spins in the QDs.

Spin-polarized electron transmission through B-doped graphene nanoribbons with Fe functionalization: a first-principles study

In this study, we investigate the electron transport properties of a B-doped armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) suspended between graphene electrodes based on first-principles calculations. Our calculations reveal that one of the electron transmission channels of a pristine AGNR junction is closed by the B-doping. We then proceed to explore the effect of the B-doping on the spin-polarized electron transport behavior of a Fe-functionalized AGNR junction. As a result, transmission channels for majority-spin electrons are closed and the spin polarization of the electron transmission is enhanced from 0.60 for the Fe-functionalized AGNR junction to 0.96 for the B- and Fe-codoped one. This observation implies that the codoped AGNR junction can be employed as a spin filter. In addition, we investigate the electronic nature of the transmission suppression caused by the B-doping. A detailed analysis of the scattering wave functions clarifies that a mode modulation of an incident wave arises in the B-doped AGNR part and the incident wave connects to an evanescent wave in the transmission-side electrode. For pristine and Fe-functionalized AGNR junctions, such a mode modulation is not observed and the incident wave connects to a propagating wave in the transmission-side electrode. Tuning of electron transport property by exploiting such a mode modulation is one of promising techniques for designing functionality of spintronics devices. We also discuss the general correspondence between the electron transmission spectrum and the density of states of a junction.

Tunneling through a dielectric/ferromagnetic/ferroelectric three-step-like composite barrier

Electron transport in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) with a three-step-like barrier combining a dielectric, ferromagnetic, and ferroelectric was investigated theoretically. A significant enhanced tunneling electroresistance effect was observed as compared to traditional FTJs with a bilayer composite barrier. The spin polarization also could be enhanced in a certain orientation of ferroelectric polarization. A metal/dielectric/ferromagnetic/ferroelectric/metal FTJ with a large ferromagnetic thickness is preferred for the optimal performance. The ferroelectricity in the ferroelectric layer has a weak modulation effect on the spin polarization. This work provides a way to enhance the performance of FTJs and/or to control the spin-polarized electronic transport by structure engineering.

Large-time asymptotics for a matrix spin drift-diffusion model

The large-time asymptotics of the density matrix solving a drift-diffusion-Poisson model for the spin-polarized electron transport in semiconductors is proved. The equations are analyzed in a bounded domain with initial and Dirichlet boundary conditions. If the relaxation time is sufficiently small and the boundary data is close to the equilibrium state, the density matrix converges exponentially fast to the spinless near-equilibrium steady state. The proof is based on a reformulation of the matrix-valued cross-diffusion equations using spin-up and spin-down densities as well as the perpendicular component of the spin-vector density, which removes the cross-diffusion terms. Key elements of the proof are time-uniform positive lower and upper bounds for the spin-up and spin-down densities, derived from the De Giorgi–Moser iteration method, and estimates of the relative free energy for the spin-up and spin-down densities.

Interplay of vibration and Coulomb effects in transport of spin-polarized electrons in a single-molecule transistor

Tunnel transport of interacting spin-polarized electrons through a single-level vibrating quantum dot in external magnetic field is studied. By using density matrix method, the current-voltage characteristics and the dependence of conductance on temperature of a single-electron transistor were calculated. We found that a lifting of Coulomb blockade in external magnetic field happens in stages. The Franck-Condon steps associated with inelastic electron tunneling in our case are doubled due to contribution of two Zeeman-split levels in electron transport. The doubling of steps can be also observed in the presence of Coulomb interaction. For strong electron-vibron interaction the temperature dependence of conductance is shown to be non-monotonic and anomalous growth of conductance maximum weakly depends both on the Coulomb strength and the external magnetic field.

High-efficiency spin polarization in electron transport through the graphene nanoribbon coupled to chromium triiodide

Spin-polarized electron transport through the zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) is investigated by assuming that it couples with different charomium triiodide (CrI3) geometries, respectively. That is to say that the ZGNR either absorbs the monolayer CrI3 or one CrI3 molecule, or couples laterally with one CrI3 molecule. It is found that the spin polarization in the electron transport process is tightly dependent on the CrI3 geometry and the ZGNR-CrI3 coupling manner. When the CrI3 molecule is absorbed on the surface of the ZGNR, the spin-polarization efficiency is much higher than the other two cases, accompanied by the wide spin-polarization region. This work provides a new kind of scheme for optimizing the spin polarization in graphene-based materials.