Spin-valve effect in an FM/Si/FM junction

Abstract

The spin transport in a lateral spin-injection device with an FeCo/Si/FeCo junction has been investigated. Magnetoresistance (MR) signals were found to appear at low magnetic fields in the range 4-300 K. This is attributable to the switching of the magnetisation of the two ferromagnetic contacts in the device for certain magnetic fields over which the magnetisation in one contact is aligned antiparallel to that in the other. The spin-valve effect was found to be independent of temperature. Data from the device suggest that the spin-polarised electrons are injected from the first contact and, after propagating through the bulk Si, are collected by the second contact. (C) 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.