Spin injection and spin accumulation in all-metal mesoscopic spin valves

By F. Jedema, M. Nijboer, A. T. Filip, B. V. van Wees. 2002

249 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We study the electrical injection and detection of spin accumulation in lateral ferromagnetic-metal-nonmagnetic-metal-ferromagnetic-metal (F/N/F) spin valve devices with transparent interfaces. Different ferromagnetic metals, Permalloy (Py), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni), are used as electrical spin injectors and detectors. For the nonmagnetic metal both aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) are used. Our multiterminal geometry allows us to experimentally separate the spin valve effect from other magnetoresistance signals such as the anisotropic magnetoresistance and Hall effects. In a "nonlocal" spin valve measurement we are able to completely isolate the spin valve signal and observe clear spin accumulation signals at T=4.2 K as well as at room temperature (RT). For aluminum we obtain spin relaxation lengths (lambda(sf)) of 1.2 mum and 600 nm at T=4.2 K and RT, respectively, whereas for copper we obtain 1.0 mum and 350 nm. At RT these spin relaxation lengths are within a factor of 2 of the maximal obtainable spin relaxation length, being limited by electron-phonon scattering. The spin relaxation times tau(sf) in the Al and Cu thin films are compared with theory and results obtained from giant magnetoresistance (GMR), conduction electron spin resonance, antiweak localization, and superconducting tunneling experiments. The magnitudes of the spin valve signals generated by the Py and Co electrodes are compared to the results obtained from GMR experiments. For the Ni electrodes no spin signal could be observed beyond experimental accuracy.

Subfields: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Condensed Matter Physics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f95cc4f2c3913c31bbcdb81466700d256700ebab

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In Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

In Condensed Matter Physics

Citations in the corpus

Gate-tunable graphene spin valve (2007, unknown): “reference [ 17 ]; we estimate in this case the signal should be on order 10-5 Ω. However,”
Giant spin-accumulation signal and pure spin-current-induced reversible magnetization switching (2008, background): “In contrast to a spin-polarized charge current, a pure spin current does not produce any charge-related spurious effect”
Challenges for semiconductor spintronics (2007, background): “23 ) and for electrically detected spin injection into a meta”
Colloquium : Nonequilibrium effects in superconductors with a spin-splitting field (2017, background): “Later these effects have been reported at room temperature in Al-based nanostructures by Jedema et al. (2001, 2003).”