arXiv subjects

Ian Appelbaum

Publications and source records attributed to Ian Appelbaum.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Spin-Polarized Transient Electron Trapping in Phosphorus-doped Silicon

Experimental evidence of electron spin precession during travel through the phosphorus-doped Si channel of an all-electrical device simultaneously indicates two distinct processes: (i) short timescales (~50ps) due to purely conduction-band transport from injector to detector, and (ii) long timescales (~1ns) originating from delays associated with capture/re-emission in shallow impurity traps. The origin of this phenomenon, examined via temperature, voltage, and electron density dependence measurements, is established by means of comparison to a numerical model and is shown to reveal the participation of metastable excited states in the phosphorus impurity spectrum. This work therefore demonstrates the potential to make the study of macroscopic spin transport relevant to the quantum regime of individual spin interactions with impurities as envisioned for quantum information applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Proposal for a Topological Plasmon Spin Rectifier

We propose a device in which the spin-polarized AC plasmon mode in the surface state of a topological insulator nanostructure induces a static spin accumulation in a resonant, normal metal structure coupled to it. Using a finite-difference time-domain model, we simulate this spin-pump mechanism with drift, diffusion, relaxation, and precession in a magnetic field. This optically-driven system can serve as a DC "spin battery" for spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Reverse Schottky-Asymmetry Spin Current Detectors

By reversing the Schottky barrier-height asymmetry in hot-electron semiconductor-metal-semiconductor ballistic spin filtering spin detectors, we have achieved: 1. Demonstration of >50% spin polarization in silicon, resulting from elimination of the ferromagnet/silicon interface on the transport channel detector contact, and 2. Evidence of spin transport at temperatures as high as 260K, enabled by an increase of detector Schottky barrier height.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

The Larmor clock and anomalous spin dephasing in silicon

Drift-diffusion theory - which fully describes charge transport in semiconductors - is also universally used to model transport of spin-polarized electrons in the presence of longitudinal electric fields. By transforming spin transit time into spin orientation with precession (a technique called the "Larmor clock") in current-sensing vertical-transport intrinsic Si devices, we show that spin diffusion (and concomitant spin dephasing) can be greatly enhanced with respect to charge diffusion, in direct contrast to predictions of spin Coulomb-drag diffusion suppression.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Introduction to Spin-Polarized Ballistic Hot Electron Injection and Detection in Silicon

Ballistic hot electron transport overcomes the well-known problems of conductivity and spin lifetime mismatch that plagues spin injection in semiconductors with ferromagnetic ohmic contacts. Through the spin-dependent mean-free-path, it also provides a means for spin detection after transport. Experimental results using these techniques (consisting of spin precession and spin-valve measurements) with Silicon-based devices reveals the exceptionally long spin lifetime and high spin coherence induced by drift-dominated transport in the semiconductor. An appropriate quantitative model that accurately simulates the device characteristics for both undoped and doped spin transport channels is described; it can be used to determine the spin current velocity, diffusion constant, and spin lifetime, constituting a spin "Haynes-Shockley" experiment without time-of-flight techniques. A perspective on the future of these methods is offered as summary.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

Modeling spin transport with current-sensing spin detectors

By incorporating the proper boundary conditions, we analytically derive the impulse response (or "Green's function") of a current-sensing spin detector. We also compare this result to a Monte-Carlo simulation (which automatically takes the proper boundary condition into account) and an empirical spin transit time distribution obtained from experimental spin precession measurements. In the strong drift-dominated transport regime, this spin current impulse response can be approximated by multiplying the spin density impulse response by the average drift velocity. However, in weak drift fields, large modeling errors up to a factor of 3 in most-probable spin transit time can be incurred unless the full spin current Green's function is used.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Spin polarized electron transport near the Si/SiO2 interface

Using long-distance lateral devices, spin transport near the interface of Si and its native oxide (SiO2) is studied by spin-valve measurements in an in-plane magnetic field and spin precession measurements in a perpendicular magnetic field at 60K. As electrons are attracted to the interface by an electrostatic gate, we observe shorter average spin transit times and an increase in spin coherence, despite a reduction in total spin polarization. This behavior, which is in contrast to the expected exponential depolarization seen in bulk transport devices, is explained using a transform method to recover the empirical spin transit-time distribution and a simple two-stage drift-diffusion model. We identify strong interface-induced spin depolarization (reducing the spin lifetime by over two orders of magnitude from its bulk transport value) as the consistent cause of these phenomena.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Geometric dephasing-limited Hanle effect in long-distance lateral silicon spin transport devices

Evidence of spin precession and dephasing ("Hanle effect") induced by an external magnetic field is the only unequivocal proof of spin-polarized conduction electron transport in semiconductor devices. However, when spin dephasing is very strong, Hanle effect in a uniaxial magnetic field can be impossible to measure. Using a Silicon device with lateral injector-detector separation over 2 millimeters, and geometrically-induced dephasing making spin transport completely incoherent, we show experimentally and theoretically that Hanle effect can still be measured using a two-axis magnetic field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Non-ohmic spin transport in n-type doped silicon

We demonstrate the injection and transport of spin-polarized electrons through n-type doped silicon with in-plane spin-valve and perpendicular magnetic field spin precession and dephasing ("Hanle effect") measurements. A voltage applied across the transport layer is used to vary the confinement potential caused by conduction band-bending and control the dominant transport mechanism between drift and diffusion. By modeling transport in this device with a Monte-Carlo scheme, we simulate the observed spin polarization and Hanle features, showing that the average transit time across the short Si transport layer can be controlled over 4 orders of magnitude with applied voltage. As a result, this modeling allows inference of a long electron spin lifetime, despite the short transit length.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Oblique Hanle Effect in Semiconductor Spin Transport Devices

Spin precession and dephasing ("Hanle effect") provides an unambiguous means to establish the presence of spin transport in semiconductors. We compare theoretical modeling with experimental data from drift-dominated silicon spin-transport devices, illustrating the non-trivial consequences of employing oblique magnetic fields (due to misalignment or intentional, fixed in-plane field components) to measure the effects of spin precession. Model results are also calculated for Hanle measurements under conditions of diffusion-dominated transport, revealing an expected Hanle peak-widening effect induced by the presence of fixed in-plane magnetic bias fields.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Spin Dephasing in Drift-Dominated Semiconductor Spintronics Devices

A spin transport model is employed to study the effects of spin dephasing induced by diffusion-driven transit-time uncertainty through semiconductor spintronic devices where drift is the dominant transport mechanism. It is found that in the ohmic regime, dephasing is independent of transit length, and determined primarily by voltage drop across the spin transport region. The effects of voltage and temperature predicted by the model are compared to experimental results from a 350-micron-thick silicon spin-transport device using derived mathematical expressions of spin dephasing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Coherent spin transport through a 350-micron-thick Silicon wafer

We use all-electrical methods to inject, transport, and detect spin-polarized electrons vertically through a 350-micron-thick undoped single-crystal silicon wafer. Spin precession measurements in a perpendicular magnetic field at different accelerating electric fields reveal high spin coherence with at least 13pi precession angles. The magnetic-field spacing of precession extrema are used to determine the injector-to-detector electron transit time. These transit time values are associated with output magnetocurrent changes (from in-plane spin-valve measurements), which are proportional to final spin polarization. Fitting the results to a simple exponential spin-decay model yields a conduction electron spin lifetime (T1) lower bound in silicon of over 500ns at 60K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Experimental realization of a silicon spin field-effect transistor

A longitudinal electric field is used to control the transit time (through an undoped silicon vertical channel) of spin-polarized electrons precessing in a perpendicular magnetic field. Since an applied voltage determines the final spin direction at the spin detector and hence the output collector current, this comprises a spin field-effect transistor. An improved hot-electron spin injector providing ~115% magnetocurrent, corresponding to at least ~38% electron current spin polarization after transport through 10 microns undoped single-crystal silicon, is used for maximum current modulation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Spin lifetime in silicon in the presence of parasitic electronic effects

A hybrid ferromagnet/semiconductor device is used to determine a lower bound on the spin lifetime for conduction electrons in silicon. We use spin precession to self-consistently measure the drift velocity vs. drift field of spin-polarized electrons and use this electronic control to change the transit time between electron injection and detection. A measurement of normalized magnetocurrent as a function of drift velocity is used with a simple exponential-decay model to argue that the lifetime obtained (~2 ns) is artificially lowered by electronic effects and is likely orders of magnitude higher.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

35% magnetocurrent with spin transport through Si

Efficient injection of spin-polarized electrons into the conduction band of silicon is limited by the formation of a silicide at the ferromagnetic metal (FM)/silicon interface. In the present work, this "magnetically-dead" silicide (where strong spin-scattering significantly reduces injected spin polarization) is eliminated by moving the FM in the spin injector from the tunnel junction base anode to the emitter cathode and away from the silicon surface. This results in over an order-of-magnitude increase in spin injection efficiency, from a previously-reported magnetocurrent ratio of ~2% to ~35% and an estimated spin polarization in Si from ~1% to at least ~15%. The injector tunnel-junction bias dependence of this spin transport signal is also measured, demonstrating the importance of low bias voltage to preserve high injected spin polarization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Transit-Time Spin Field-Effect-Transistor

We propose and analyze a four-terminal metal-semiconductor device that uses hot-electron transport through thin ferromagnetic films to inject and detect a charge-coupled spin current transported through the conduction band of an arbitrary semiconductor. This provides the possibility of realizing a spin field-effect-transistor in Si, using electrostatic transit-time control in a perpendicular magnetic field, rather than Rashba effect with spin-orbit interaction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Electronic measurement and control of spin transport in Silicon

The electron spin lifetime and diffusion length are transport parameters that define the scale of coherence in spintronic devices and circuits. Since these parameters are many orders of magnitude larger in semiconductors than in metals, semiconductors could be the most suitable for spintronics. Thus far, spin transport has only been measured in direct-bandgap semiconductors or in combination with magnetic semiconductors, excluding a wide range of non-magnetic semiconductors with indirect bandgaps. Most notable in this group is silicon (Si), which (in addition to its market entrenchment in electronics) has long been predicted a superior semiconductor for spintronics with enhanced lifetime and diffusion length due to low spin-orbit scattering and lattice inversion symmetry. Despite its exciting promise, a demonstration of coherent spin transport in Si has remained elusive, because most experiments focused on magnetoresistive devices; these methods fail because of universal impedance mismatch obstacles, and are obscured by Lorentz magnetoresistance and Hall effects. Here we demonstrate conduction band spin transport across 10 microns undoped Si, by using spin-dependent ballistic hot-electron filtering through ferromagnetic thin films for both spin-injection and detection. Not based on magnetoresistance, the hot electron spin-injection and detection avoids impedance mismatch issues and prevents interference from parasitic effects. The clean collector current thus shows independent magnetic and electrical control of spin precession and confirms spin coherent drift in the conduction band of silicon.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv1999

Ultra-bright source of polarization-entangled photons

Using the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion in a novel two-crystal geometry, one can generate a source of polarization-entangled photon pairs which is orders of magnitude brighter than previous sources. We have measured a high level of entanglement between photons emitted over a relatively large collection angle, and over a 10-nm bandwidth. As a demonstration of the source intensity, we obtained a 242-$σ$ violation of Bell's inequalities in less than three minutes.

quant-ph↗