Spin memristive systems: Spin memory effects in semiconductor spintronics

Recently, in addition to the well-known resistor, capacitor, and inductor, a fourth passive circuit element, named memristor, has been identified following theoretical predictions. The model example used in such case consisted in a nanoscale system with coupled ionic and electronic transport. Here, we discuss a system whose memristive behavior is based entirely on the electron-spin degree of freedom, which allows for a more convenient control than the ionic transport in nanostructures. An analysis of time-dependent spin transport at a semiconductor/ferromagnet junction provides a direct evidence of memristive behavior. Our scheme is fundamentally different from previously discussed schemes of memristive systems and broadens the possible range of applications of semiconductor spintronics.