Scientists generate, modulate, and electrically detect pure spin currents in silicon

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The illustration shows the lateral device with the non-local detection which was used to demonstrate the electrical injection detection and modulation of spin current in silicon. A charge current of spin-polarized electrons follows the applied voltag ...
The illustration shows the lateral device with the non-local detection, which was used to demonstrate the electrical injection, detection and modulation of spin current in silicon. A charge current of spin-polarized electrons follows the applied voltage and flows to the right, while a pure spin current flows to the left. Credit: NRL

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have generated, modulated and electrically detected a pure spin current in silicon, the semiconductor used most widely in the electronic device industry. Magnetic contacts on the surface of an n-type silicon layer enable generation of a spin current which flows separately from a charge current.


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