Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of local “spin accumulation” devices

Journal Article · Mon Jun 09 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4883638· OSTI ID:22299995

Tinkey, Holly N.; Li, Pengke; Appelbaum, Ian ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and CNAM, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

We investigate the origin of purported “spin accumulation” signals observed in local “three-terminal” (3T) measurements of ferromagnet/insulator/n-Si tunnel junctions using inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). Voltage bias and magnetic field dependences of the IET spectra were found to account for the dominant contribution to 3T magnetoresistance, thus indicating that it arises from inelastic tunneling through impurities and defects at junction interfaces and within the barrier, rather than from spin accumulation due to pure elastic tunneling into bulk Si as has been previously assumed.

• OSTI ID: 22299995
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 23; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
DEFECTS
DIFFUSION BARRIERS
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
EQUIPMENT
IMPURITIES
INTERFACES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETORESISTANCE
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SPECTRA
SPIN
TUNNEL EFFECT