Ian Appelbaum

Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Delaware
Metal Spintronics Devices

Anisotropic
Tunnel
Giant
TMR
Magnetoresistance
GMR
AMR

J
ferromagnet
Spin for Logic: Polarization and Lifetime
Charge: Spin:

e-
e-
e- “0”
“1”
e-
e-
e- e-

Polarization: imbalance between spin “up” and spin “down”

Lifetime: characteristic timescale for return to equilibrium

Semiconductors for Spintronics

Lattice inversion symmetry

Low atomic number

III IV V VI
silicon
II

Zero nuclear spin for Si28

Ballistic Spin Filtering: an analogy
Optical axis
Light (photons):

polarizer

polarizer
50% 50%
0%

unpolarized
“ballistic”=
without scattering
Magnetization
electrons:

Ferromagnet
Ferromagnet

Si

unpolarized
Ballistic Spin Filtering: an analogy

“Stoner” Metallic
Ferromagnet
Energy unpolarized polarized

EF
>>kBT

Energy
Fermi
Energy

d-band
DOS

FM polarizer
“Fermi’s Golden rule”
distance
Making Hot Electrons: Tunnel Junctions

insulator
Energy

EF eVbias EF

metal metal

Vbias

distance
Band diagram

injector

detector
Energy

Al2O3
CoFe

Al Single-crystal
undoped Si

350 μm n-Si
Al
Cu

NiFe
VE VC1 IC1

Cu
IC2
10 nm
8 nm
Distance
UHV metal wafer bonding

n-Si wafer i-Si wafer

Cu thermal evaporation
NiFe
Device fabrication
undoped‐Si SiO2
a
n‐Si
After UHV Bonding

b
After sawing

c
After silicon etching

After SiO2 removal
Vertical geometry
VE IC1 VC1 IC2
FM
TJ base contact polarizer
In contact
Isolation insulator
TJ emitter

350 μm undoped Si

FM analyzer

n-Si second
collector
 4

Band diagram

Emitter Current [mA]

3

3.5

Collector 1 Current [μA]

3.0

2.5

2.0
Energy

1.5
Schottky
Al2O3

1.0
barrier
0.5
CoFe

Al Single-crystal 0.0

undoped Si 35

Collector 2 Current [pA]

30

350 μm n-Si
Al
Cu

25

20
NiFe

15
VE VC1 IC1
Cu

IC2 10

10 nm 5

8 nm 0

-5

Distance -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0.0 0.2
Emitter Voltage [V]
Spin-valve effect through 350 μm Si

Collector 2 Current (IC2) [pA]

Magnetic Field

120

115

110
Si
105 T=150K

100
-200 -100 0 100 200
In-Plane Magnetic Field [Oe]
r r
S || B
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 177209 (2007)
Precession in a Perpendicular Field

dS S
= μ × B = − gμB × B = ω × S
dt h
μB
ω=g B
h
Precession in a Perpendicular Field

dS S
= μ × B = − gμB × B = ω × S
dt h
μB
ω=g B
h
Precession in a Perpendicular Field

dS S
= μ × B = − gμB × B = ω × S
dt h
μB
ω=g B
h
g≈2 In Si

μ B = 5.8 ×10 eV / Oe
−9

h = 6.6 ×10 −16 eV ⋅ s

ω = 2π 2.8 MHz / Oe
Spin Precession
Diffusion and Dephasing frequency g μ Bτ
ΔI c 2 ∝ cos( B)
Measurement axis θ = ωτ h
transit time
h
τ transit =
2 g μ B Bπ

Magnetic Field

injector detector

Wide distribution of
final spin angles at
detector reduces
observed spin
coherence
Diffusion and Drift
∞
ΔI c ∝
∫ P ( x = L, t ) cos(ωt )dt
0

dP d 2P dP P
= D 2 +v − Spin drift-diffusion
dt dx dx τ sf eqn.

( x − vt )2
1 − − t / τ sf
P ( x, t ) = e 4 Dt
e
2 π Dt
Spin precession during transport through 350 μm Si
Collector 2 Current (IC2) [pA]
120
sweep direction

115

110

105
r r
100
S⊥B FM switch
T=150K
-200 -100 0 100 200
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
L → AL Ohm’s law
∞ ( L − vt )2
1 − − t / τ sf v →v/A v = μV / L
∫
0 4π Dt
e 4 Dt
cos(ω t )e dt
ω → ω / A2
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 177209 (2007)
 100

Voltage effects on dephasing 10V 14V

Collector 2 Current [pA]

84

Collector 2 Current [pA]

95
Dephasing (Eq. 17, symbols) 81

1.2 Extrema 1.2 90

Dephasing (Eq. 13, lines)

78
π
0.9
2π -40 -20 0 20 40 -90 -60 -30 0 30 60
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
90
0.9 Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
3π
16V 18V

Collector 2 Current [pA]

Collector 2 Current [pA]

105
4π 110

0.6 0.6 100

105

95 100
0.3 0.3

-150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]

0 5 10 15 20 220
80V

Collector 2 Current [pA]

Accelerating Voltage [V]

210
π
1.8
2π
3π
Dephasing (Eq. 17)

1.5
4π 200
1.2

0.9
190
0.6
-1000 -500 0 500 1000
0.3 Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Accelerating Voltage [V] cond-mat/0801.1790
“Transit-time” SpinFET

θ = ωτ
Ic2

Perpendicular magnetic field

B0
electric field
transit time
Ic2 Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 262501 (2007)

Drift region Voltage bias

Simulation
0.05

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]
0.05
A 0.05 B C

0.00 0.00 0.00

-0.05 -0.05

-0.05
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300
Magnetic Field B [Oe] Magnetic Field B [Oe] Magnetic Field B [Oe]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

A B C D E F

200 Oe

3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5

D rift V e lo c ity [1 e 6 c m /s ]

0.05 0.05 0.05

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

D E F

0.00 0.00 0.00

-0.05 -0.05 -0.05

-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300
Magnetic Field B [Oe] Magnetic Field B [Oe] Magnetic Field B [Oe]
350
micron
Experiment
56 60 64

Collector 2 Current [pA]

Collector 2 Current [pA]

Collector 2 Current [pA]

54 58 62

52 56 60

50 54 58

48 52 56

46 50 54
20V 25V 30V
44 48 52
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -200 0 200 -200 0 200
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]

Normalized Output Current 1 .0 5

1 .0 0

0 .9 5

0 .9 0
spin state
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
A ccelera tin g V o lta g e [V ]
68 72
80

Collector 2 Current [pA]

Collector 2 Current [pA]
Collector 2 Current [pA]

66 70
78
64 68
76

62 66
74

60 64 72
350 micron
58
62 70 VE=-1.2V,
56 35V 60

58
40V 68

66
55V T=100K,
-200 0 200
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
-200 0 200
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
-200 0 200
Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe] Normalized
to B=0
spectra
Symmetry Breaking Bz

device plane
By

Bz
0.05
Spin Precession Signal [arb]

0.00

-0.05
-200 -100 0 100 200
Magnetic Field B [Oe]
 experiment model

90 experiment 1 model
B//=128 Oe B//=128 Oe

85
0

90 1
B//=96 Oe B//=96 Oe
Second Collector Current [pA]

85

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

0

B//=64 Oe 1
90 B//=64 Oe

85
0

90 1
B//=32 Oe B//=32 Oe
85
0

90
1
B//=0 Oe B//=0 Oe
85
0
80
-1
75
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300

Magnetic Field B⊥ [Oe] Magnetic Field B⊥ [Oe]

Symmetry Breaking Bz

device plane
By

Bz
0.05
Spin Precession Signal [arb]

0.00

-0.05
-200 -100 0 100 200
Magnetic Field B [Oe]
 Misalignment: 30 degrees

90
1
experiment model

85
B//=128 Oe
0 B//=126 Oe

1
Second Collector Current [pA]

Spin Precession Signal [arb]

85

B//=96 Oe 0 B//=94 Oe
80

85 1

80
B//=64 Oe 0
B//=66 Oe

75
85
1

80
0
75 B//=32 Oe B//=35 Oe

-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300
Magnetic Field B⊥ [Oe] Magnetic Field B⊥ [Oe]
Spin Lifetime Measurement
Collector 2 Current [pA] 110
108 105
Perpendicular

Collector 2 Current [pA]

106 Hanle Effect
104
102
100
100
98
96 In Plane
Spin Valve Effect
94 95
92
90
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150

Proportional to Spin Polarization

In-Plane Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]
ACCELERATING

60K
4 85K
100K
VOLTAGE

102
Perpendicular 125K
Collector 2 Current [pA]

Collector 2 Current [pA]

100 Hanle Effect

98
150K
95
96 3
94

92 In Plane
Spin Valve Effect 90
90

88
2
86

84
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -90 -60 -30 0 30 60 90

In-Plane Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]

1

88
Collector 2 Current [pA]

86 84 Perpendicular
Collector 2 Current [pA]

Hanle Effect
84
0 50 100 150 200 250
82

80
In Plane
Spin Valve Effect
81
Transit time [ns]
78
78
76

74
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

In-Plane Magnetic Field [Oe] Perpendicular Magnetic Field [Oe]

Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 177209 (2007)

Comparison to ESR spin lifetime

Spin Lifetime (T1) [ns]

100

Appelbaum Lab, undoped

ESR (Lepine) 7.4E14
10
Yafet theory
50 100 150
Temperature [K]

Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 177209 (2007)

Lepine, Phys. Rev. B 2, 2429 (1970)
Fabian et al., Acta Phys. Slovaca 57, 565 (2007)
Haynes-Shockley Experiment (1949)

Ic
E-Field p-type Ge

electrons

- Mobility
- Diffusion Coefficient
- Minority carrier lifetime
Acknowledgements

Biqin Huang, Douwe Monsma,

Hyuk-Jae Jang, Xu Jing, Li Jing, Zhao Lai
References:
• First demonstration of spin transport in Si:
Nature 447, 295 (2007)
• Coherent spin transport through an entire silicon wafer:
PRL 99, 177209 (2007)
•Spin Precession in Oblique Fields :
APL 92, 142507 (2008)
• Experimental realization of Si Spin-FET, and >37% spin
polarization:
APL 91, 072501 (2007)
•Spin Dephasing Analysis:
cond-mat/0801.1790 (2007)
Question 1
Band diagram
Energy

Al2O3
CoFe

Al Single-crystal
undoped Si

350 μm n-Si
Al
Cu

NiFe

VE VC1 IC1
Cu

IC2
10 nm
8 nm
Distance
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5