New approaches to injection and detection of spin polarized electrons into semiconductor structures

目的：本研究计划的目标是：1）通过利用InAs基材料上生长的锌层结构的铁磁MnAs接触的良好结构、磁性和电学性能，在高温下获得有效的自旋注入InAs; 2）利用InAs中的Rashba效应，利用InAs量子阱的共振隧穿效应，研制出一种可用的全半导体自旋注入器。InGa）As探测器; 3）提高最近开发的Fe/GaAs自旋发光二极管（LED）的自旋注入效率和温度鲁棒性，其中Fe/GaAs自旋发光二极管（LED）包含嵌入GaAs量子威尔斯中的InAs层。该方法是测量由这些设备所发射的电致发光的圆偏振，从注入的电子自旋极化，因此器件的效率将被determined.Intellectual优点：有相当大的挑战，在设计和生长的合适的结构，每个项目进行。这些挑战包括必要结构的生长，以及了解各种生长参数如何影响结果以及如何控制它们。 更广泛的影响：如果这项研究成功，它将对自旋电子学领域产生重大影响，从而为GaAs基和InAs基器件提供合适的高效注入结构，从而可能对未来几代信息技术产生重大影响。 将提供一个面向高中生的外联方案，目的是让他们了解波动力学原理及其在纳米结构中的应用。

Objectives: The objectives of this research program are: 1) to obtain efficient spin injection into InAs at elevated temperatures by exploiting favorable structural, magnetic and electrical properties of ferromagnetic MnAs contacts grown in the zinc-blende structure on InAs-based materials; 2) to develop a usable all semiconductor spin injector by exploiting the Rashba effect in InAs and employing resonant tunneling from an InAs quantum well into an (InGa)As detector under a bias-created electric field; 3) to improve the efficiency and temperature robustness of spin injection from recently developed Fe/GaAs spin light emitting diodes (LEDs) which incorporate ultrathin InAs layers embedded in the GaAs Quantum wells. The approach is to measure the circular polarization of the electroluminescence emitted by these devices from which the injected electron spin polarization and therefore the device efficiency will be determined.Intellectual merit: There are considerable challenges in the design and growth of suitable structures for each of the projects to be undertaken. These challenges include the growth of the necessary structures, and understanding how the various growth parameters affect the outcome and how they can be controlled. Broader Impact : If this research is successful, it will have a significant impact on the field of spintronics, and thus possible future generations of information technology, by providing suitable efficient injection structures for both GaAs-based and InAs-based devices. An outreach program directed at high school students with the objective of providing them with exposure on the principles of wave-mechanics and its applications in nanostructures will be offered.