All-electric all-semiconductor spin field-effect transistors

The spin field-effect transistor envisioned by Datta and Das(1) opens a gateway to spin information processing(2,3). Although the coherent manipulation of electron spins in semiconductors is now possible(4-8), the realization of a functional spin field-effect transistor for information processing has yet to be achieved, owing to several fundamental challenges such as the low spin-injection efficiency due to resistance mismatch(9), spin relaxation and the spread of spin precession angles. Alternative spin transistor designs have therefore been proposed(10,11), but these differ from the field-effect transistor concept and require the use of optical or magnetic elements, which pose difficulties for incorporation into integrated circuits. Here, we present an all-electric and all-semiconductor spin field-effect transistor in which these obstacles are overcome by using two quantum point contacts as spin injectors and detectors. Distinct engineering architectures of spin-orbit coupling are exploited for the quantum point contacts and the central semiconductor channel to achieve complete control of the electron spins (spin injection, manipulation and detection) in a purely electrical manner. Such a device is compatible with large-scale integration and holds promise for future spintronic devices for information processing.