Theoretical study on spin-polarized injection of electrical currents into polymer semiconductors

Different from electrons and holes in traditional inorganic semiconductors, the charge carriers in polymer semiconductors are spin polarons and spinless bipolarons. In this paper, a theoretical model is presented to describe the spin-polarized injection of electrical currents from a ferromagnetic contact into a nonmagnetic polymer semiconductor. In this model, a new relation of conductivity to concentration polarization for polymer semiconductors is introduced based on a three-channel model to describe the spin-polarized injection of electrical currents under large electrical current densities. The calculated results of the model reveal the effects of the polaron ratio, the carrier concentration polarization, the interfacial conductance, the bulk conductivity of materials, and the electrical current density, etc. on the spin polarization of electrical currents. As conclusions, the large and matched bulk conductivity of materials, the small spin-dependent interfacial conductance, the thin polymer thickness and the large enough electrical current are critical factors for upgrading the spin polarization of electrical currents in polymer semiconductors. Particularly, when the polaron ratio in polymer semiconductors approaches the concentration polarization of the ferromagnetic contact, a modest concentration polarization is sufficient for achieving a nearly complete spin-polarized injection of electrical currents.     

Generating spin currents in semiconductors with the spin Hall effect

We investigate electrically induced spin currents generated by the spin Hall effect in GaAs structures that distinguish edge effects from spin transport. Using Kerr rotation microscopy to image the spin polarization, we demonstrate that the observed spin accumulation is due to a transverse bulk electron spin current, which can drive spin polarization nearly 40 microns into a region in which there is minimal electric field. Using a model that incorporates the effects of spin drift, we determine the transverse spin drift velocity from the magnetic field dependence of the spin polarization.     

Direct observation of optically injected spin-polarized currents in semiconductors

Quantum interference of one- and two-photon excitation of unbiased semiconductors yields ballistic currents of carriers. The magnitudes and directions of the currents and the spin orientations of the carriers are controlled by the polarization and relative phase of the exciting femtosecond laser fields. We provide direct experimental evidence for the spin polarization of the optically injected spin currents by detecting a phase-dependent spatial shift of the circularly polarized photoluminescence in cubic ZnSe.     

Temperature dependence of spin injection efficiency in an epitaxially grown Fe/GaAs hybrid structure

The electrical spin injection from Fe into an n-doped GaAs channel through Schottky-tunnel-barrier is observed from 1.8 K to room temperature. The magnitude of local spin valve signal (ΔR/R₀) decreases as the temperature increases. In each temperature, we calculated the injected polarization (η) considering the spin drift effect induced by the electric field. The interfacial polarizations of 19.3% and 12.6% are acquired for Fe/GaAs junction at T=1.8 and 300 K, respectively. The temperature dependence of spin injection efficiency is matched with interface resistance variation. As the temperature increases, Schottky-tunnel-barrier property is diminished so that the spin injection efficiency would be reduced.     

Reprint of : Spin polarization induced by an electric field in the presence of weak localization effects

We evaluate the spin polarization (Edelstein or inverse spin galvanic effect) and the spin Hall current induced by an applied electric field by including the weak localization corrections for a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the weak localization effects yield logarithmic corrections to both the spin polarization conductivity relating the spin polarization and the electric field and to the spin Hall angle relating the spin and charge currents. The renormalization of both the spin polarization conductivity and the spin Hall angle combine to produce a zero correction to the total spin Hall conductivity as required by an exact identity. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the effect are given.     

Spin polarization induced by an electric field in the presence of weak localization effects

We evaluate the spin polarization (Edelstein or inverse spin galvanic effect) and the spin Hall current induced by an applied electric field by including the weak localization corrections for a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the weak localization effects yield logarithmic corrections to both the spin polarization conductivity relating the spin polarization and the electric field and to the spin Hall angle relating the spin and charge currents. The renormalization of both the spin polarization conductivity and the spin Hall angle combine to produce a zero correction to the total spin Hall conductivity as required by an exact identity. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the effect are given.     

Thermoelectric response of spin polarization in Rashba spintronic systems

Motivated by the recent discovery of a strongly spin–orbit-coupled two-dimensional (2D) electron gas near the surface of Rashba semiconductors BiTeX (X= Cl, Br, I), we calculate the thermoelectric responses of spin polarization in a 2D Rashba model. By self-consistently determining the energyand band-dependent transport time, we present an exact solution of the linearized Boltzmann equation for elastic scattering. Using this solution, we find a non-Edelstein electric-field-induced spin polarization that is linear in the Fermi energy E_F when E_F lies below the band crossing point. The spin polarization efficiency, which is the electric-field-induced spin polarization divided by the driven electric current, increases for smaller E_F .We show that, as a function of E_F, the temperaturegradient-induced spin polarization increases continuously to a saturation value when EF decreases below the band crossing point. As the temperature tends to zero, the temperature-gradient-induced spin polarization vanishes.     

Reversal of spin polarization in Fe/GaAs (001) driven by resonant surface states: first-principles calculations

A minority-spin resonant state at the Fe/GaAs(001) interface is predicted to reverse the spin polarization with the voltage bias of electrons transmitted across this interface. Using a Green's function approach within the local spin-density approximation, we calculate the spin-dependent current in a Fe/GaAs/Cu tunnel junction as a function of the applied bias voltage. We find a change in sign of the spin polarization of tunneling electrons with bias voltage due to the interface minority-spin resonance. This result explains recent experimental data on spin injection in Fe/GaAs contacts and on tunneling magnetoresistance in Fe/GaAs/Fe magnetic tunnel junctions.     

自旋注入有机物的扩散理论

根据自旋注入半导体的相关理论， 考虑到有机体内可能同时含有带自旋的单极化子和不带自旋的双极化子两种载流子，从扩散 理论和欧姆定律出发，建立了自旋注入有机体的唯象模型.通过计算发现，适当选择铁磁层极化率或两层的电导率可以使得有机层内电流具有高的自旋极化.进一步研究了单极化子浓度等因素对注入电流极化的影响. 关键词： 自旋电子学 自旋注入 有机聚合物 极化子     

Deformations of the spin currents by topological screw dislocation and cosmic dispiration

We study the spin currents induced by topological screw dislocation and cosmic dispiration. By using the extended Drude model, we find that the spin dependent forces are modified by the nontrivial geometry. For the topological screw dislocation, only the direction of spin current is bent by deforming the spin polarization vector. In contrast, the force induced by cosmic dispiration could affect both the direction and magnitude of the spin current. As a consequence, the spin-Hall conductivity does not receive corrections from screw dislocation.     

Spin accumulation in forward-biased MnAs/GaAs Schottky diodes

We describe a new means for all-electrical generation of spin polarization in semiconductors. In contrast with spin injection of electrons by tunneling through a reverse-biased Schottky barrier, we observe accumulation at the metal-semiconductor interface of forward-biased ferromagnetic Schottky diodes, which is consistent with a theory of spin-dependent reflection off the interface. Spatiotemporal Kerr microscopy is used to image the electron spin and the resulting dynamic nuclear polarization that arises from the nonequilibrium carrier polarization.     

Controlling the interaction of electron and nuclear spins in a tunnel-coupled quantum dot

We present a technique for manipulating the nuclear spins and the emission polarization from a single optically active quantum dot. When the quantum dot is tunnel coupled to a Fermi sea, we have discovered a natural cycle in which an electron spin is repeatedly created with resonant optical excitation. The spontaneous emission polarization and the nuclear spin polarization exhibit a bistability. For a σ(+) pump, the emission switches from σ(+) to σ(-) at a particular detuning of the laser. Simultaneously, the nuclear spin polarization switches from positive to negative. Away from the bistability, the nuclear spin polarization can be changed continuously from negative to positive, allowing precise control via the laser wavelength.     

Optical characterizations of GaAs-based spin light emitting diodes using Fe3O4 spin injectors

We fabricated GaAs-based spin-LED (light emitting diode) structures using half-metallic Fe₃O₄ as spin injectors and measured the circular polarization of the electroluminescence (EL). The circular polarization of the EL due to the spin injection was improved by the low temperature growth of the ferromagnetic layer, compared to the room temperature growth. We also studied the excitation wavelength dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the variation of the EL spectra with increasing current. The excess carrier dependence of the EL peaks was found to be different from that of the PL peaks, which was explained by the carrier injection into the buffer layer.     

Rashba-induced transverse pure spin currents in a four-terminal quantum dot ring

By applying a local Rashba spin–orbit interaction to an individual quantum dot of a four-terminal four-quantum-dot ring and introducing a finite bias between the longitudinal terminals, we theoretically investigate the charge and spin currents in the transverse terminals. It is found that when the quantum dot levels are separate from the chemical potentials of the transverse terminals, notable pure spin currents appear in the transverse terminals with the same amplitude but opposite polarization directions. In addition, the polarization directions of such pure spin currents can be inverted by altering the structure parameters, i.e., the magnetic flux, the bias voltage, and the values of quantum dot levels with respect to the chemical potentials of the transverse terminals.     

Quenching of magnetic transitions as an angular momentum effect

We investigate how the mechanisms of nuclear excitations and mesonic currents traditionally invoked to explain the quenching of low multipole magnetic transitions apply to higher spin operators. We find that there is a significant quenching of the low multipolarity spin-isospin operators by Δ-hole polarization, but that this effect decreases for higher multipoles. Conversely, the nucleon-hole polarization which has a negligible effect on low multipoles plays a predominant role in explaining the quenching of higher multipoles. Meson exchange currents provide a significant enhancement of the orbital operators but have only a slight effect on the spin components.     

Spin Coulomb Dragging Inhibition of Spin-Polarized Electric Current Injecting into Organic Semiconductors

We introduce a one-dimensional spin injection structure comprising a ferromagnetic metal and a nondegenerate organic semiconductor to model electric current polarizations. With this model we analyse spin Coulomb dragging (SCD) effects on the polarization under various electric fields, interface and conductivity conditions. The results show that the SCD inhibits the current polarization. Thus the SCD inhibition should be well considered for accurate evaluation of current polarization in the design of organic spin devices.     

Photocurrent spin diode: Electrically controlled sign reversal of current polarization

We report a study of spin-dependent transport through a quantum dot irradiated by continuous circularly polarized light resonant to the electron-heavy hole transition. We use the nonequilibrium Green's function to calculate the spin accumulation, spin-resolved currents, and current polarization in the presence of an external bias and intradot Coulomb interaction. It is found that for a range of external biases sign reversal of the current polarization can be modulated. The system thus operates as a rectifier for spin current polarization. This effect follows from the interplay between the external irradiation and the Coulomb repulsion. The spin-polarized transport through a three-terminal device is also discussed. Spin current with high polarization could be obtained due to spin filter effect.     

Parity violation correlations in light muonic atoms

The 2S-1S transition in light muonic atoms is very sensitive to parity violation correlations induced via neutral currents. Observables depending on these transitions such as the photon polarization and the angular correlation between the emitted radiation and the atom polarization are a clear signal of weak neutral currents in atoms. We find the relation between the lepton and quark couplings and these observables emphasizing the effect of the nuclear spin. The results expected in muonic, atoms μ-⁴He and μ-³He are given.     

Optical analogue of the spin Hall effect in a photonic cavity

We observe anisotropy in the polarization flux generated in a GaAs/AlAs photonic cavity by optical illumination, equivalent to spin currents in strongly coupled microcavities. Polarization rotation of the scattered photons around the Rayleigh ring is due to the TE-TM splitting of the cavity mode. Resolving the circular polarization components of the transmission reveals a separation of the polarization flux in momentum space. These observations constitute the optical analogue of the spin Hall effect.     

Measurement of electron spin lifetime and optical orientation efficiency in germanium using electrical detection of radio frequency modulated spin polarization

We propose and demonstrate a technique for electrical detection of polarized spins in semiconductors in zero applied magnetic fields. Spin polarization is generated by optical injection using circularly polarized light which is modulated rapidly using an electro-optic cell. The modulated spin polarization generates a weak time-varying magnetic field which is detected by a sensitive radio-frequency coil. Using a calibrated pickup coil and amplification electronics, clear signals were obtained for bulk GaAs and Ge samples from which an optical spin orientation efficiency of 4.8% could be determined for Ge at 1342 nm excitation wavelength. In the presence of a small external magnetic field, the signal decayed according to the Hanle effect, from which a spin lifetime of 4.6±1.0 ns for electrons in bulk Ge at 127 K was extracted.