Acoustically induced electron spin transport in galium arsenide

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The field of spintronics, which exploits the spin of an electron in solid state electronics, is experiencing a tremendous surge in interest.  Using the spin of the electron to represent the 0 and 1 logic bits is expected to produce faster, more efficient spintronic devices and ultimately form the basis of a quantum computer.  To achieve these goals, basic material systems and devices that efficiently transport and manipulate electron spins are necessary.  Previous studies in semiconductors have typically discussed either the transport of spins with little control of their microscopic movement or the use of quantum dots to confine and manipulate the spins locally at the expense of limiting transport.  My research will centre around the study of spin transport using the unique system of dynamic quantum dots.  Dynamic quantum dots are created by the combination of static potentials with a dynamic piezoelectric potential generated by surface acoustic waves.  Surface acoustic waves are Rayleigh waves that travel on the surface of a sample causing a point on the surface to move in both the vertical and longitudinal directions.  Electron spins can be confined within the dynamic quantum dots and coherently transported over long distances.  To study the spin relaxation mechanisms during transport, two areas are targeted.  In one area, the research will include the study of a large number of electron spins (on the order of 100 spins) in each dot by monitoring the local magnetic field generated by the spins.  The second will focus on enabling the transport of a single electron within each dynamic quantum dot in order to produce a single photon emitter that operates at repetition rates comparable to the surface acoustic wave frequency (approximately 1 GHz).  This project is particularly interesting because a high frequency single photon emitter would be very applicable to work regarding quantum cryptography.  In both research areas, the transport of electron spins using mobile confinement potentials will provide an important contribution to the development of spintronic devices and strengthen spintronics research in Canada.