Semiconductor Spintronics

✍ Scribed by Thomas Schäpers

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 368
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

As the first comprehensive introduction into the rapidly evolving field of spintronics, this textbook covers ferromagnetism in nano-electrodes, spin injection, spin manipulation, and the practical use of these effects in next-generation electronics. Based on foundations in quantum mechanics and solid state physics this textbook guides the reader to the forefront of research and development in the field, based on repeated lectures given by the author.

From the content:
Low-dimensional semiconductor structures
Magnetism in solids
Diluted magnetic semiconductors
Magnetic electrodes
Spin injection
Spin transistor
Spin interference
Spin Hall effect
Quantum spin Hall effect
Topological insulators
Quantum computation with electron spins

• The first to summarize the basic spin-related physical phenomena and their possible applications in future electronics in a didactically accessible manner.
• Also covers topological insulators.
• Includes over 100 full-color illustrations & diagrams.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Low-dimensional semiconductor structures
2.1 Overview
2.2 Bulk semiconductors
2.2.1 Band structure
2.2.2 Effective mass
2.2.3 Density of states
2.2.4 Intrinsic semiconductors
2.3 Doped semiconductors
2.4 Transport
2.4.1 Classical diffusive transport
2.4.2 Einstein relation
2.4.3 Mobility
2.4.4 Characteristic length scales
2.5 Layer systems
2.5.1 Semiconductor heterostructures
2.5.2 Two-dimensional electron gases
2.6 Quantum wires and nanowires
2.6.1 Electron beam lithography
2.6.2 Semiconductor nanowires
2.6.3 Split-gate quantum point contacts
2.7 Zero-dimensional structures: quantum dots
2.7.1 Transport at small source-drain bias voltages
2.7.2 Transport as a function of source-drain bias voltage
2.8 Transport in a quantizing magnetic field
2.8.1 Landau quantization
2.8.2 Magnetic edge states
2.9 Summary
3. Magnetism in solids
3.1 Definitions and basics
3.1.1 Definitions
3.1.2 Magnetization
3.1.3 Magnetic moments of electrons in atomic orbitals
3.1.4 The electron spin
3.2 Classification
3.3 Paramagnetism
3.3.1 Paramagnetism of localized moments
3.3.2 Hund’s rule
3.3.3 Pauli paramagnetism
3.4 Collective magnetism
3.4.1 Exchange interaction
3.4.2 Stoner model
3.5 Summary
4. Diluted magnetic semiconductors
4.1 Overview
4.2 II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors
4.3 III-V diluted magnetic semiconductors
4.4 Transport properties of III-V diluted magnetic semiconductors
4.5 Summary
5. Magnetic electrodes
5.1 Overview
5.2 Formation of magnetic domains
5.2.1 Magnetic stray field
5.2.2 Crystal anisotropy
5.2.3 Form anisotropy contribution
5.2.4 Exchange energy contribution
5.3 Domain walls
5.4 Ferromagnetic electrodes
5.5 Local Hall effect measurements
5.6 Micromagnetic simulations
5.7 Domain wall motion
5.8 Summary
6. Spin injection
6.1 Overview
6.2 Resistor model
6.3 Local description of spin injection
6.4 Optical detection of spin-polarized carriers
6.5 Experiments on optical detection of spin polarization
6.6 Injection through a barrier
6.6.1 Free electron approximation
6.6.2 Diffusive transport regime
6.7 Experiments on spin injectors with interface barriers
6.8 Nonlocal spin injection
6.9 Optical spin generation
6.9.1 Optical absorption
6.9.2 Optical detection of magnetization
6.9.3 Pump-probe experiments
6.10 Summary
7. Spin transistor
7.1 Overview
7.2 InAs-based two-dimensional electron gases
7.3 The Rashba effect
7.4 Strength of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling
7.4.1 The k · p method
7.4.2 Envelope function approach
7.5 Magnetoresistance measurements
7.5.1 Beating patterns due to the Rashba effect
7.5.2 Gate-control of the Rashba effect
7.6 Bulk inversion asymmetry
7.6.1 Time-reversal symmetry
7.6.2 Spatial inversion symmetry
7.6.3 Dresselhaus term
7.7 Rashba effect in quasi one-dimensional structures
7.7.1 Rashba effect in planar quasi one-dimensional structures
7.7.2 Rashba effect in tubular structures
7.8 Summary
8. Spin interference
8.1 Overview
8.2 Electron interference effects
8.2.1 Electron interference effects
8.2.2 Aharonov–Bohm effect
8.2.3 Altshuler–Aronov–Spivak oscillations
8.2.4 Weak localization
8.3 Spin interference effects
8.3.1 Weak antilocalization
8.3.2 Spin relaxation mechanisms
8.3.3 Weak antilocalization in two-dimensional electron gases
8.3.4 Weak antilocalization in wire structures
8.4 Spin interference effects in ring structures
8.4.1 Berry phase
8.4.2 Spin-interference in a ring with Rashba spin-orbit coupling
8.5 Summary
9. Spin Hall effect
9.1 Introductory remarks
9.2 Basic phenomena
9.3 Boltzmann equation and skew scattering
9.3.1 Boltzmann equation
9.3.2 Intrinsic spin Hall effect
9.3.3 Extrinsic spin Hall effect: skew scattering contribution
9.3.4 Skew scattering in a two-dimensional system
9.4 Experiments on spin Hall effect in semiconductor layers
9.5 Detection of the spin Hall effect by electroluminescence
9.6 Summary
10. Quantum spin Hall effect
10.1 Introductory remarks
10.2 Inverted quantum well in HgTe/CdTe
10.3 Band structure
10.4 Helical edge states
10.5 Conductance in a normal and inverted HgTe/CdTe quantum well
10.6 Edge channel transport
10.7 Spin-polarized transport
10.8 Summary
11. Topological insulators
11.1 Introductory remarks
11.2 Material system
11.3 Bulk band structure
11.3.1 Level evolution
11.3.2 Effective Hamiltonian
11.3.3 Ab-initio band structure calculations
11.4 Surface states
11.4.1 Surface states deduced from the effective Hamiltonian
11.4.2 Surface states obtained from ab initio calculations
11.4.3 Topological protection of surface states
11.5 Angle-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy
11.6 Transport experiments
11.6.1 Topologically protected surface states in nanowires
11.6.2 Flux-periodic oscillations in nanowire structures
11.7 Summary
12. Quantum computation with electron spins
12.1 Introductory remarks
12.2 Basic elements of a quantum computer
12.2.1 Quantum bit
12.2.2 Entangled states
12.3 Basic quantum gates
12.3.1 Single-qubit gate
12.3.2 Controlled-NOT gate
12.3.3 Realization of a quantum computer
12.4 Quantum algorithms
12.4.1 Deutsch–Josza quantum algorithm
12.5 Quantum dot spin qubits
12.5.1 General concept
12.5.2 Experimental realization of a quantum dot qubit
12.5.3 Initialization
12.5.4 Read-out
12.5.5 Electron spin resonance
12.5.6 Spin-control in a double dot system
12.5.7 Singlet-triplet qubit
12.5.8 Control of the S-T0 qubit
12.6 Summary
Solutions
Bibliography
Index