Oblique Hanle Effect in Semiconductor Spin Transport Devices

Spin precession and dephasing ("Hanle effect") provides an unambiguous means to establish the presence of spin transport in semiconductors. We compare theoretical modeling with experimental data from drift-dominated silicon spin-transport devices, illustrating the non-trivial consequences of employing oblique magnetic fields (due to misalignment or intentional, fixed in-plane field components) to measure the effects of spin precession. Model results are also calculated for Hanle measurements under conditions of diffusion-dominated transport, revealing an expected Hanle peak-widening effect induced by the presence of fixed in-plane magnetic bias fields

35% magnetocurrent with spin transport through Si

Efficient injection of spin-polarized electrons into the conduction band of silicon is limited by the formation of a silicide at the ferromagnetic metal (FM)/silicon interface. In the present work, this "magnetically-dead" silicide (where strong spin-scattering significantly reduces injected spin polarization) is eliminated by moving the FM in the spin injector from the tunnel junction base anode to the emitter cathode and away from the silicon surface. This results in over an order-of-magnitude increase in spin injection efficiency, from a previously-reported magnetocurrent ratio of ~2% to ~35% and an estimated spin polarization in Si from ~1% to at least ~15%. The injector tunnel-junction bias dependence of this spin transport signal is also measured, demonstrating the importance of low bias voltage to preserve high injected spin polarization

Geometric dephasing-limited Hanle effect in long-distance lateral silicon spin transport devices

Evidence of spin precession and dephasing ("Hanle effect") induced by an external magnetic field is the only unequivocal proof of spin-polarized conduction electron transport in semiconductor devices. However, when spin dephasing is very strong, Hanle effect in a uniaxial magnetic field can be impossible to measure. Using a Silicon device with lateral injector-detector separation over 2 millimeters, and geometrically-induced dephasing making spin transport completely incoherent, we show experimentally and theoretically that Hanle effect can still be measured using a two-axis magnetic field

The Larmor clock and anomalous spin dephasing in silicon

Drift-diffusion theory - which fully describes charge transport in semiconductors - is also universally used to model transport of spin-polarized electrons in the presence of longitudinal electric fields. By transforming spin transit time into spin orientation with precession (a technique called the "Larmor clock") in current-sensing vertical-transport intrinsic Si devices, we show that spin diffusion (and concomitant spin dephasing) can be greatly enhanced with respect to charge diffusion, in direct contrast to predictions of spin Coulomb-drag diffusion suppression.Comment: minor edits and updated ref

Coherent spin transport through a 350-micron-thick Silicon wafer

We use all-electrical methods to inject, transport, and detect spin-polarized electrons vertically through a 350-micron-thick undoped single-crystal silicon wafer. Spin precession measurements in a perpendicular magnetic field at different accelerating electric fields reveal high spin coherence with at least 13pi precession angles. The magnetic-field spacing of precession extrema are used to determine the injector-to-detector electron transit time. These transit time values are associated with output magnetocurrent changes (from in-plane spin-valve measurements), which are proportional to final spin polarization. Fitting the results to a simple exponential spin-decay model yields a conduction electron spin lifetime (T1) lower bound in silicon of over 500ns at 60K.Comment: Accepted in PR

Electronic measurement and control of spin transport in Silicon

The electron spin lifetime and diffusion length are transport parameters that define the scale of coherence in spintronic devices and circuits. Since these parameters are many orders of magnitude larger in semiconductors than in metals, semiconductors could be the most suitable for spintronics. Thus far, spin transport has only been measured in direct-bandgap semiconductors or in combination with magnetic semiconductors, excluding a wide range of non-magnetic semiconductors with indirect bandgaps. Most notable in this group is silicon (Si), which (in addition to its market entrenchment in electronics) has long been predicted a superior semiconductor for spintronics with enhanced lifetime and diffusion length due to low spin-orbit scattering and lattice inversion symmetry. Despite its exciting promise, a demonstration of coherent spin transport in Si has remained elusive, because most experiments focused on magnetoresistive devices; these methods fail because of universal impedance mismatch obstacles, and are obscured by Lorentz magnetoresistance and Hall effects. Here we demonstrate conduction band spin transport across 10 microns undoped Si, by using spin-dependent ballistic hot-electron filtering through ferromagnetic thin films for both spin-injection and detection. Not based on magnetoresistance, the hot electron spin-injection and detection avoids impedance mismatch issues and prevents interference from parasitic effects. The clean collector current thus shows independent magnetic and electrical control of spin precession and confirms spin coherent drift in the conduction band of silicon.Comment: Single PDF file with 4 Figure