Journal
NATURE MATERIALS
Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages 198-202Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/NMAT2385
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Funding
- Linkoping University
- Swedish Research council
- Swedish Energy Agency
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- Wenner-Gren Foundations
- Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT)
- NSF [DMR-0606389]
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Generating, manipulating and detecting electron spin polarization and coherence at room temperature is at the heart of future spintronics and spin-based quantum information technology(1-4). Spin filtering, which is a key issue for spintronic applications, has been demonstrated by using ferromagnetic metals(5-8), diluted magnetic semiconductors(9,10), quantum point contacts(11), quantum dots(12), carbon nanotubes(13), multiferroics(14) and so on. This filtering effect was so far restricted to a limited efficiency and primarily at low temperatures or under a magnetic field. Here, we provide direct and unambiguous experimental proof that an electron-spin-polarized defect, such as a Ga-i self-interstitial in dilute nitride GaNAs, can effectively deplete conduction electrons with an opposite spin orientation and can thus turn the non-magnetic semiconductor into an efficient spin filter operating at room temperature and zero magnetic field. This work shows the potential of such defect-engineered, switchable spin filters as an attractive alternative to generate, amplify and detect electron spin polarization at room temperature without a magnetic material or external magnetic fields.
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