J. A. Haigh, C. Ciccarelli, A. C. Betz, A. Irvine, V. Novák, T. Jungwirth, 4 and J. Wunderlich 3 Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Ave., Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom Microelectronics Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Ave., Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom Institute of Physics ASCR, v.v.i., Cukrovarnická 10, 16253 Praha 6, Czech Republic School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK (Dated: November 6, 2018)
We analyze the prospects for thermal spin-injection from iron into gallium arsenide via the application of electrical noise. By estimating the applied effective temperature-equivalent gradients, we characterize the magnitude of any electrical part of the thermal spin-injection efficiency or the spin-dependent Seebeck effect. The magnitude of the non-local spin signal associated with this effect suggests that temperature differences on the order of ∼100 K would be needed for true thermal spin-injection experiments. The large size of the effective temperature gradients induced by the noise-based method means that even very small thermo-electric effects can be quantified.
Domain wall motion driven by ultra-short laser pulses is a pre-requisite for envisaged low-power spintronics combining storage of information in magnetoelectronic devices with high speed and long distance transmission of information encoded in circularly polarized light. Here we demonstrate the conversion of the circular polarization of incident femtosecond laser pulses into inertial displacement of a domain wall in a ferromagnetic semiconductor. In our study, we combine electrical measurements and magneto-optical imaging of the domain wall displacement with micromagnetic simulations. The optical spin-transfer torque acts over a picosecond recombination time of the spin-polarized photo-carriers that only leads to a deformation of the initial domain wall structure. We show that subsequent depinning and micrometre-distance displacement without an applied magnetic field or any other external stimuli can only occur due to the inertia of the domain wall.
We perform precise measurements of the permanent dipole moment and polarizability of both the neutral exciton (X-0) and positive trion (X+) in a single InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot (QD). This is achieved through one-and two-color high-resolution photocurrent (PC) spectroscopy of X-0 and X+, respectively, using ultra-narrow-bandwidth continuous-wave lasers. This technique allows for sub-mu eV resolution, which is limited only by the spectral linewidth of the lasers and is more than four orders of magnitude higher than that of previous techniques. We are therefore permitted to obtain precise values for the permanent dipole moment and polarizability of both X-0 and X+, by fitting an appropriate theoretical model to the measured transition energies as a function of electric field. As a sequence of protocols for the optical initialization, manipulation, and readout of a QD hole spin qubit embedded in a photodiode device relies on the coherent control of both X-0 and X+ as intermediary states, such precise measurements of their dipole moment and polarizability using high-resolution PC spectroscopy are crucial for implementing these quantum computing protocols with high fidelity.
We demonstrate electrical control of the neutral exciton fine-structure splitting in a single InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot by significantly reducing the splitting to near zero through the application of a vertical electric field in the fast electron tunneling regime. This is verified by performing high-resolution photocurrent spectroscopy of the two fine-structure split exciton eigenstates as a function of reverse bias voltage. Using the qubit initialization scheme for a quantum-dot hole spin based on rapid electric-field ionization of a spin-polarized exciton, our results suggest a practical approach towards achieving qubit initialization with near-unity fidelity in the absence of magnetic fields.
We demonstrate optical manipulation of the position of a domain wall in a dilute magnetic semiconductor, GaMnAsP. Two main contributions are identified. First, photocarrier spin exerts a spin-transfer torque on the magnetization via the exchange interaction. The direction of the domain-wall motion can be controlled using the helicity of the laser. Second, the domain wall is attracted to the hot spot generated by the focused laser. Unlike magnetic-field-driven domain-wall depinning, these mechanisms directly drive domain-wall motion, providing an optical tweezerlike ability to position and locally probe domain walls.
We report an experimental study of the direct conversion of light into electrical signals in GaAs/AlGaAs Hall-bar microdevices. Our approach, based on different modulation frequencies of the intensity and polarization of the laser beam, allows us to disentangle the charge- and spin-dependent parts of the induced electrical signal and to link them to the incident light intensity and polarization, respectively. We demonstrate that the efficiency of the light to spin conversion in our electrical polarimeter is strongly enhanced by adding a drift component to the transport of the spin-polarized photocarriers, as compared to a purely diffusive transport regime of the device. For a micron-size focused laser beam, the experiments demonstrate that the light to charge and spin conversion efficiency depends on the precise position of the light spot, reflecting the spatially dependent response function of the Hall cross.
Summary form only given. The rich internal degrees of freedom of magnetic domain walls (DW) make them an attractive complement to electron charge for exploring new concepts of storage, transport, and processing of information. We utilize the tuneable internal structure of a DW in perpendicularly magnetized GaMnAsP/GaAs ferromagnetic semiconductor and demonstrate devices in which piezo-electrically controlled magnetic anisotropy yields large mobility variations for current driven DW motion . [1, 2] We directly observe and piezo-electric control the Walker breakdown separating two regimes with different mobilities . The piezo-electric control allows to experimentally assess the upper and lower boundaries of the characteristic ratio of adiabatic and non-adiabatic spin transfer torques in the current driven DW motion . Apart from current induced DW motion, also optically generated electron spins can move DWs . The direction of DW motion depends on the photon helicity in our GaMnAsP/GaAs devices and we identify optical spin transfer torque (oSTT) [4] as the underlying mechanism . We further discuss possibilities to apply and electrically control oSTT induced DW motion to thin magnetic metal films . Optically driven DW motion can be very efficient and high velocities maybe achieved since intrinsic DW pinning [5] does not occur when the entire DW is simultaneously exposed to perpendicular polarized electron spins . We also identify a polarisation independent contribution for light-induced DW motion where the DW is attracted to the hot-spot generated by the focused laser light . Unlike magnetic field and current driven DW motion, light-induced DW motion provides an optical tweezers like ability to position and locally probe DWs .
The capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor can depend on applied magnetic field. Previous studies have identified capacitance changes induced via classical Lorentz force or spin-dependent Zeeman effects. Here we measure a magnetization direction dependent capacitance in parallel-plate capacitors where one plate is a ferromagnetic semiconductor, gallium manganese arsenide. This anisotropic magneto-capacitance is due to the anisotropy in the density of states dependent on the magnetization through the strong spin-orbit interaction.
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We propose a novel hybrid single-electron device for reprogrammable low-power logic operations, the magnetic single-electron transistor (MSET). The device consists of an aluminium single-electron transistor with a GaMnAs magnetic back-gate. Changing between different logic gate functions is realized by reorienting the magnetic moments of the magnetic layer, which induces a voltage shift on the Coulomb blockade oscillations of the MSET. We show that we can arbitrarily reprogram the function of the device from an n-type SET for in-plane magnetization of the GaMnAs layer to p-type SET for out-of-plane magnetization orientation. Moreover, we demonstrate a set of reprogrammable Boolean gates and its logical complement at the single device level. Finally, we propose two sets of reconfigurable binary gates using combinations of two MSETs in a pull-down network.
We demonstrate that an antiferromagnet can be employed for a highly efficient electrical manipulation of a ferromagnet. In our study, we use an electrical detection technique of the ferromagnetic resonance driven by an in-plane ac current in a NiFe/IrMn bilayer. At room temperature, we observe antidampinglike spin torque acting on the NiFe ferromagnet, generated by an in-plane current driven through the IrMn antiferromagnet. A large enhancement of the torque, characterized by an effective spin-Hall angle exceeding most heavy transition metals, correlates with the presence of the exchange-bias field at the NiFe/IrMn interface. It highlights that, in addition to the strong spin-orbit coupling, the antiferromagnetic order in IrMn governs the observed phenomenon.
We demonstrate the initialization of a single quantum-dot hole spin with high fidelity ( lower bound > 97%), on picosecond time scales, and without the need for magnetic fields. Using the initialization scheme based on rapid electric-field ionization of a resonantly excited exciton, this is achieved by employing a self-assembled quantum dot with a low conduction-to-valence band offset ratio, allowing control of the relative electron and hole tunneling rates over three orders of magnitude. This large difference in tunneling rates could permit spin-storage efficiencies >99.5% by fast-switching to a low electric-field condition. Our results may provide a practical route towards ultrafast high-fidelity initialization of individual quantum-dot hole spins for the implementation of quantum error correction in a scalable spin-based quantum computer.
Magnetization switching at the interface between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic metals, controlled by current-induced torques, could be exploited in magnetic memory technologies. Compelling questions arise regarding the role played in the switching by the spin Hall effect in the paramagnet and by the spin-orbit torque originating from the broken inversion symmetry at the interface. Of particular importance are the antidamping components of these current-induced torques acting against the equilibrium-restoring Gilbert damping of the magnetization dynamics. Here, we report the observation of an antidamping spin-orbit torque that stems from the Berry curvature, in analogy to the origin of the intrinsic spin Hall effect. We chose the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As as a material system because its crystal inversion asymmetry allows us to measure bare ferromagnetic films, rather than ferromagnetic-paramagnetic heterostructures, eliminating by design any spin Hall effect contribution. We provide an intuitive picture of the Berry curvature origin of this antidamping spin-orbit torque as well as its microscopic modelling. We expect the Berry curvature spin-orbit torque to be of comparable strength to the spin-Hall-effect-driven antidamping torque in ferromagnets interfaced with paramagnets with strong intrinsic spin Hall effect.
Current-induced torques in ultrathin Co/Pt bilayers were investigated using an electrically driven ferromagnetic resonance technique. The angle dependence of the resonances, detected by a rectification effect as a voltage, was analysed to determine the symmetries and relative magnitudes of the spin-orbit torques. Both anti-damping (Slonczewski) and field-like torques were observed. As the ferromagnet thickness was reduced from 3 to 1 nm, the sign of the sum of the field-like torque and Oersted torque reversed. This observation is consistent with the emergence of a Rashba spin orbit torque in ultra-thin bilayers.
We measure electrically detected ferromagnetic resonance in microdevices patterned from ultra-thin Co/Pt bilayers. Spin pumping and rectification voltages are observed and distinguished via their angular dependence. The spin-pumping voltage shows an unexpected increase as the cobalt thickness is reduced below 2 nm. This enhancement allows more efficient conversion of spin to charge current and motivates a theory modelling the dependence of impurity scattering on surface roughness.
Recent observations of current-induced magnetization switching at ferromagnet/normal-conductor interfaces have important consequences for future magnetic memory technology. In one interpretation, the switching originates from carriers with spin-dependent scattering giving rise to a relativistic anti-damping spin-orbit torque (SOT) in structures with broken space-inversion symmetry. The alternative interpretation combines the relativistic spin Hall effect (SHE), making the normal-conductor an injector of a spin-current, with the non-relativistic spin-transfer torque (STT) in the ferromagnet. Remarkably, the SHE in these experiments originates from the Berry phase effect in the band structure of a clean crystal and the anti-damping STT is also based on a disorder-independent transfer of spin from carriers to magnetization. Here we report the observation of an anti-damping SOT stemming from an analogous Berry phase effect to the SHE. The SOT alone can therefore induce magnetization dynamics based on a scattering-independent principle. The ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As we use has a broken space-inversion symmetry in the crystal. This allows us to consider a bare ferromagnetic element which eliminates by design any SHE related contribution to the spin torque. We provide an intuitive picture of the Berry phase origin of the anti-damping SOT and a microscopic modeling of measured data.