Complete spin polarization of degenerate electrons in semiconductors near ferromagnetic contacts

In order to enhance spin injection efficiency from ferromagnetic (FM) metal into a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), we introduce another FM metal and two tunnel barriers (I) between them to investigate the current polarization in such ballistic FM/I/FM/I/2DEG junction. Our treatment is based on the free-electron scattering theory. It is found that due to quantum interference effect, the magnitude and sign of the current polarization exhibits periodical oscillating behavio...

We propose a ``spin-guide'' source for generation of electric currents with a high degree of spin polarization, allowing long-distance transmission of the spin-polarization. In the spin-guide scheme proposed here, a non-magnetic conducting channel is wrapped by a magnetic shell which preferentially transmits electrons with a particular spin polarization. It is shown that this method is significantly more effective then the spin-filter-like scheme where the current flows perpe...

Theory of electrical spin injection from a ferromagnetic (FM) metal into a normal (N) conductor is presented. We show that tunnel contacts (T) can dramatically increase spin injection and solve the problem of the mismatch in the conductivities of a FM metal and a semiconductor microstructure. We also present explicit expressions for the spin-valve resistance of FM-T-N- and FM-T-N-T-FM-junctions with tunnel contacts at the interfaces and show that the resistance includes both ...

There is a renewed interest to study spin-polarized transport and spin dynamics in various electronic materials. The motivation to examine the spin degrees of freedom (mostly in electrons, but also in holes and nuclei) comes from various sources: ranging from novel applications which are either not feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics, to using spin-dependent phenomena to explore the fundamental properties of solid state systems. Taken in a broader context, t...

We study the evolution and distribution of non-equilibrium electron spin polarization in n-type semiconductors within the two-component drift-diffusion model in an applied electric field. Propagation of spin-polarized electrons through a boundary between two semiconductor regions with different doping levels is considered. We assume that inhomogeneous spin polarization is created locally and driven through the boundary by the electric field. The electric field distribution an...

In spin-polarized bipolar transport both electrons and holes in doped semiconductors contribute to spin-charge coupling. The current conversion between the minority (as referred to carriers and not spin) and majority carriers leads to novel spintronic schemes if nonequilibrium spin is present. Most striking phenomena occur in inhomogeneously doped magnetic {\it p-n} junctions, where the presence of nonequilibrium spin at the depletion layer leads to the spin-voltaic effect: e...

High degree of electron spin polarization is of crucial importance in operation of spintronic devices. We study the propagation of spin-polarized electrons through a boundary between two n-type semiconductor regions with different doping levels. We assume that inhomogeneous spin polarization is created/injected locally and driven through the boundary by the electric field. The electric field distribution and spin polarization distribution are calculated within a two-component...

We report on the spin-polarized electron injection through an Fe(100)/InAs(100) junction. The circularly polarized electroluminescence of injected electrons from epitaxially grown Fe thin film into InAs(100) in an external magnetic field is measured to investigate the spin injection efficiency. The obtained polarization of the electroluminescence is seen to increase up to about -12 % at the temperature of 6.5 K and the external magnetic field of 10 T. This result suggests tha...

Injection and detection of spin accumulation in a semiconductor having localized states at the interface is evaluated. Spin transport from a ferromagnetic contact by sequential, two-step tunneling via interface states is treated not in itself, but in parallel with direct tunneling. The spin accumulation induced in the semiconductor channel is not suppressed, as previously argued, but genuinely enhanced by the additional spin current via interface states. Spin detection with a...

We present a theoretical model that describes electrical spin-detection at a ferromagnet/semiconductor interface. We show that the sensitivity of the spin detector has strong bias dependence which, in the general case, is dramatically different from that of the tunneling current spin polarization. We show that this bias dependence originates from two distinct physical mechanisms: 1) the bias dependence of tunneling current spin polarization, which is of microscopic origin and...