Time: 16:00 hrs

Location: Zaal E 

Ron Jansen, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology,
University of Twente, The Netherlands

Almost a century after its discovery, a basic quantum mechanical property of the electron, namely its spin, is on the verge of creating a revolution in electronics. The use of electron spin in electrical transport has already led to many fascinating phenomena and continues to produce new ones. The field, now called "spintronics", combines magnetic, electric, optical and thermal effects in a wide variety of materials. Of particular interest is the integration of magnetism and mainstream semiconductors such as silicon, which could impact information technology in ways beyond imagination. This is the topic of this seminar. It starts at a basic level with the generic principles of spin transport and magnetoresistance in metal-based structures. Then we’ll discuss the remarkable progress made in recent years with spins in semiconductors, focusing on the implementation of spin-based electronic functionality in silicon devices and the associated challenges.

Two recent advances will be highlighted:

• The room-temperature electrical injection of spin polarization into n-type and p-type silicon from a ferromagnetic tunnel contact, and the manipulation of the spins in a transverse magnetic field (Hanle effect).
• The manipulation of the degree of spin polarization in Si quantum wells by an electric field.