Spin transport in polycrystalline Sb films

Spin transport in polycrystalline Sb films has been studied by using NiFe/Sb/NiFe lateral spin valve devices. A clear spin valve effect was detected in the magnetoresistance measurements, which were carried out using a conventional four-terminal geometry. The observation of a memory effect in these results indicates that the spin valve signal originates from spin injection and detection determined by the magnetization orientations of the two ferromagnetic electrodes in the NiFe/Sb/NiFe device. From our analysis of the spin valve signals, the authors estimate that the spin diffusion length in the Sb film is similar to 2.3 mu m, with an injected spin polarization across the NiFe/Sb interface of 0.8% at 20 K. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.