Spin Injection from Magnetic Contacts into Two- and Zero-Dimensional Semiconductor Systems

本研究的目的是研究能有效地将单自旋态电子注入半导体器件的材料。 方法是探索以下有前途的系统。 1)侧发射铁基自旋发光二极管。 这些需要非常小的磁场来进行操作。 侧面发射的几何结构为自旋激光器的发展提供了可能性。 2)具有铁自旋注入接触的砷化铟量子点发光二极体。 由于InAs量子点的零维特性，这些器件可以在室温下工作。 3)InAs基自旋发光二极管。这种材料系统为中红外光学应用提供了高电子迁移率。 4)利用半金属MnAs层作为自旋注入接触的新型自旋发光二极管。拟议中的计划将科学研究与教育和推广到当地高中相结合。在前一类，我们预计，拟议的科学工作，将有一个显着的影响，由于潜在的使用结果的实际应用在自旋电子器件的信息技术的未来发展。 在InAs量子点上提出的工作的某些方面也有望在新兴的相关量子计算领域中找到应用。 这项工作的教育方面有两个方向：1）在新兴的自旋电子学领域培养下一代科学家和工程师; 2）向高中学生传播有关一般科学方法和拟议工作的信息。

The objective of this research is to investigate materials that can inject efficiently electrons of predominantly one spin state into semiconductor devices. The approach is to explore the following promising systems. 1) Side emitting Fe-based spin light-emitting diodes. These require very small magnetic fields for their operation. The side emitting geometry offers the possibility for the development of spin lasers. 2) InAs quantum-dot-based light-emitting diodes with Fe spin-injecting contacts. These devices can operate at room temperature due to the zero-dimensional character of the InAs quantum dots. 3) InAs-based spin light-emitting diodes. This material system offers high electron mobility for optical applications in the mid-infrared. 4) A new class of spin light-emitting diodes which utilize half metallic MnAs layers as spin injecting contacts. The proposed program combines scientific research with education and outreach to the local high schools. In the former category we expect that the proposed scientific work, will have a significant impact on the future development of information technology due to the potential use of the results for practical applications in spintronic devices. Some aspects of the proposed work on InAs quantum dots are also expected to find applications in the emerging, and related, field of quantum computing. The educational aspect of the work has two directions: 1) training the next generation of scientists and engineers in the emerging field of spintronics; and 2) disseminating information on the scientific method in general and on the proposed work in particular to students at the high school level.