Imaging Spin Properties using Spatially Varying Magnetic Fields
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Date
2012-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Electronic devices have advanced according to Moore’s law for a number of years. The small sizes of modern electronics have led to new complications (due to short gate lengths, high transistor density, etc.) that will likely cause Moore’s law to saturate in the next five to ten years. Spin-based electronic (spintronic) devices have the potential to improve device performance and decrease power consumption. These devices show promise in moving current computer technology forward in the areas of logic, storage, and communications. Achieving an understanding of spin-polarized transport in inhomogeneous magnetic environments is critical to the advancement of spin-based electronics. We are developing numerical and experimental tools to achieve this goal. We have developed a method for studying spatially varying spin lifetimes by applying strongly inhomogeneous magnetic fields to semiconductor samples. Simulations show interesting effects when spins diffuse in the spatially varying magnetic fields of a micromagnetic tip or a ferromagnetic injector (such as those used in spintronic devices). These results show promise for local imaging of spin properties. The results of this work have the potential to advance the development of spin-based electronics by providing a high resolution imaging tool that can be used to observe the behavior of spins in prototype devices.
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Keywords
Spintronics, Spin Imaging, Spatially Varying Magnetic Fields, Spin Perturbation Imaging