Search

We experimentally study nonlinear propagation of spin waves in microscopic yttrium iron garnet waveguides, where the dispersion spectrum is engineered to enable efficient four-magnon interactions over a wide range of wavelengths. We show that under these conditions, the initial monochromatic spin wave nonlinearly generates co-propagating spin waves with well-defined, discrete frequencies. This process is characterized by a low energy threshold and can be observed in a wide range of frequencies and excitation powers. Thanks to the engineered dispersion, the process allows the generation of waves with short wavelengths that cannot be excited directly by a linear excitation mechanism. The nonlinearly generated short-wavelength spin waves continuously acquire the energy from the initial pump wave during co-propagation, which results in compensation of their propagation losses over significant distances. The observed phenomena can be used to implement frequency- and wavelength-conversion operations in magnonic nanodevices and circuits.

Generation of second-harmonic waves is one of the universal nonlinear phenomena that have found numerous technical applications in many modern technologies, in particular, in photonics. This phenomenon also has great potential in the field of magnonics, which considers the use of spin waves in magnetic nanostructures to implement wave-based signal processing and computing. However, due to the strong frequency dependence of the phase velocity of spin waves, resonant phase-matched generation of second-harmonic spin waves has not yet been achieved in practice. Here, we show experimentally that such a process can be realized using a combination of different modes of nano-sized spin-wave waveguides based on low-damping magnetic insulators. We demonstrate that our approach enables efficient spatially-extended energy transfer between interacting waves, which can be controlled by the intensity of the initial wave and the static magnetic field. The demonstrated approach can be used for the generation of short-wavelength spin waves that are difficult to excite directly, as well as for the implementation of novel devices for magnonic logic and unconventional computing., Comment: This preprint has not undergone peer review or any post-submission improvements or corrections. The Version of Record of this article is published in Nature Communications, and is available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46108-y

Spin-wave based transmission and processing of information is a promising emerging nano-technology that can help overcome limitations of traditional electronics based on the transfer of electrical charge. Among the most important challenges for this technology is the implementation of spin-wave devices that can operate without the need for an external bias magnetic field. Here we experimentally demonstrate that this can be achieved using sub-micrometer wide spin-wave waveguides fabricated from ultrathin films of low-loss magnetic insulator - Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG). We show that these waveguides exhibit a highly stable single-domain static magnetic configuration at zero field and support long-range propagation of spin waves with gigahertz frequencies. The experimental results are supported by micromagnetic simulations, which additionally provide information for optimization of zero-field guiding structures. Our findings create the basis for the development of energy-efficient zero-field spin-wave devices and circuits.

We use the phase-resolved imaging to directly study the nonlinear modification of the wavelength of spin waves propagating in 100-nm thick, in-plane magnetized YIG waveguides. We show that, by using moderate microwave powers, one can realize spin waves with large amplitudes corresponding to precession angles in excess of 10 degrees and nonlinear wavelength variation of up to 18 percent in this system. We also find that, at large precession angles, the propagation of spin waves is strongly affected by the onset of nonlinear damping, which results in a strong spatial dependence of the wavelength. This effect leads to a spatially dependent controllability of the wavelength by the microwave power. Furthermore, it leads to the saturation of nonlinear spectral shift's effects several micrometers away from the excitation point. These findings are important for the development of nonlinear, integrated spin-wave signal processing devices and can be used to optimize their characteristics.

We study experimentally and by micromagnetic simulations the propagation of spin waves in 100-nm thick YIG waveguides, where the width linearly decreases from 2 to 0.5 micrometers over a transition region with varying length between 2.5 and 10 micrometers. We show that this geometry results in a down-conversion of the wavelength, enabling efficient generation of waves with wavelengths down to 350 nm. We also find that this geometry leads to a modification of the group velocity, allowing for almost-dispersionless propagation of spin-wave pulses. Moreover, we demonstrate that the influence of energy concentration outweighs that of damping in these YIG waveguides, resulting in an overall increase of the spin-wave intensity during propagation in the transition region. These findings can be utilized to improve the efficiency and functionality of magnonic devices which use spin waves as an information carrier.

A number of recent studies indicate that the charge conduction of the LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface at low temperature is confined to filaments which are linked to structural domain walls in the SrTiO$_3$ with drastic consequences for example for the temperature dependence of local transport properties. We demonstrate that as a consequences of this current carrying filaments on the nano-scale the magnetotransport properties of the interface are highly anisotropic. Our magnetoresistance measurements reveal that the magnetoresistance in different nanostructures ($<500nm$) is random in magnitude and sign, respectively. Warming up nanostructures above the structural phase transition temperature (105K) results in the significant change in MR. Even a sign change of the magnetoresistance is possible. The results suggest that domain walls that are differently oriented with respect to the surface exhibit different respective magnetoresistance and the total magnetoresistance is a result of a random domain wall pattern formed during the structural phase transition in the SrTiO$_3$ at cool down., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

We present a novel process that allows the transfer of monocrystalline yttrium-iron-garnet microstructures onto virtually any kind of substrate. The process is based on a recently developed method that allows the fabrication of freestanding monocrystalline YIG bridges on gadolinium-gallium-garnet. Here the bridges' spans are detached from the substrate by a dry etching process and immersed in a watery solution. Using drop casting the immersed YIG platelets can be transferred onto the substrate of choice, where the structures finally can be reattached and thus be integrated into complex devices or experimental geometries. Using time resolved scanning Kerr microscopy and inductively measured ferromagnetic resonance we can demonstrate that the structures retain their excellent magnetic quality. At room temperature we find a ferromagnetic resonance linewidth of $\mu_0\Delta H_{HWHM}\approx 195\,\mu T$ and we were even able to inductively measure magnon spectra on a single micron-sized yttrium-iron-garnet platelet at a temperature of 5 K. The process is flexible in terms of substrate material and shape of the structure. In the future this approach will allow for new types of spin dynamics experiments up to now unthinkable., Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures

Thin Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) is a promising material for integrated magnonics. In order to introduce YIG into nanofabrication processes it is necessary to fabricate very thin YIG films with a thickness well below 100 nm while retaining the extraordinary magnetic properties of the material, especially its long magnon lifetime and spin wave propagation length. Here, we give a brief introduction into the topic and we review and discuss the various results published over the last decade in this area. Especially for ultrathin films it turns out that pulsed layer deposition and sputtering are the most promising candidates. In addition, we discuss the application of room temperature deposition and annealing for lift-off based nanopatterning and the properties of nanostructures obtained by this method over the past years., Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures

We demonstrate a tunnel field effect transistor based on a lateral heterostructure patterned from an $\mathrm{LaAlO_3/SrTiO_3}$ electron gas. Charge is injected by tunneling from the $\mathrm{LaAlO_3}$/$\mathrm{SrTiO_3}$ contacts and the current through a narrow channel of insulating $\mathrm{SrTiO_3}$ is controlled via an electrostatic side gate. Drain-source I/V-curves have been measured at low and elevated temperatures. The transistor shows strong electric-field and temperature-dependent behaviour with a steep sub-threshold slope %of up to as small as $10\:\mathrm{mV/decade}$ and a transconductance as high as $g_m\approx 22 \: \mathrm{\mu A/V}$. A fully consistent transport model for the drain-source tunneling reproduces the measured steep sub-threshold slope., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Supplementary material: 4 pages, 2 figures

Nano resonators in which mechanical vibrations and spin waves can be coupled are an intriguing concept that can be used in quantum information processing to transfer information between different states of excitation. Until now, the fabrication of free standing magnetic nanostructures which host long lived spin wave excitatons and may be suitable as mechanical resonators seemed elusive. We demonstrate the fabrication of free standing monocrystalline yttrium iron garnet (YIG) 3D nanoresonators with nearly ideal magnetic properties. The freestanding 3D structures are obtained using a complex lithography process including room temperature deposition and lift-off of amorphous YIG and subsequent crystallization by annealing. The crystallization nucleates from the substrate and propagates across the structure even around bends over distances of several micrometers to form e.g. monocrystalline resonators as shown by transmission electron microscopy. Spin wave excitations in individual nanostructures are imaged by time resolved scanning Kerr microscopy. The narrow linewidth of the magnetic excitations indicates a Gilbert damping constant of only $\alpha = 2.6 \times 10^{-4}$ rivalling the best values obtained for epitaxial YIG thin film material. The new fabrication process represents a leap forward in magnonics and magnon mechanics as it provides 3D YIG structures of unprecedented quality. At the same time it demonstrates a completely new route towards the fabrication of free standing crystalline nano structures which may be applicable also to other material systems., Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures

The resistance of the electron gas at the interface between the two band insulators LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) typically drops monotonically with temperature and R/T curves during cooling and warm-up look identical for large area structures. Here we show that if the LAO/STO is laterally restricted by nanopatterning the resistance exhibits a temperature anomaly. Warming up nanostructures from low temperatures leads to one or two pronounced resistance peaks between 50 and 100 K not observed for larger dimensions. During cool-down current filaments emerge at the domain walls that form during the well-known structural phase transition of the STO substrate. During warm-up the reverse phase transition can interrupt filaments before the sheet conductivity which dominates at higher temperature is reestablished. Due to the limited number of filaments in a nanostructure this process can result in a complete loss of conductance. As a consequence of these findings the transport physics extracted from experiments in small and large area LAO/STO structures may need to be reconsidered., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures

We have investigated the unidirectional spin wave heat conveyer effect in sub-micron thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films using lock-in thermography (LIT). Although the effect is small in thin layers this technique allows us to observe asymmetric heat transport by magnons which leads to asymmetric temperature profiles differing by several mK on both sides of the exciting antenna, respectively. Comparison of Damon-Eshbach and backward volume modes shows that the unidirectional heat flow is indeed due to non-reciprocal spin-waves. Because of the finite linewidth, small asymmetries can still be observed when only the uniform mode of ferromagnetic resonance is excited. The latter is of extreme importance for example when measuring the inverse spin-Hall effect because the temperature differences can result in thermovoltages at the contacts. Because of the non-reciprocity these thermovoltages reverse their sign with a reversal of the magnetic field which is typically deemed the signature of the inverse spin-Hall voltage., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

We demonstrate coherent control of time domain ferromagnetic resonance by all electrical excitation and detection. Using two ultrashort magnetic field steps with variable time delay we control the induction decay in yttrium iron garnet (YIG). By setting suitable delay times between the two steps the precession of the magnetization can either be enhanced or completely stopped. The method allows for a determination of the precession frequency within a few precession periods and with an accuracy much higher than can be achieved using fast fourier transformation. Moreover it holds the promise to massively increase precession amplitudes in pulsed inductive microwave magnetometry (PIMM) using low amplitude finite pulse trains. Our experiments are supported by micromagnetic simulations which nicely confirm the experimental results., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

Complex oxide heterostructures are hot candidates for post CMOS multi-functional devices. Especially in spintronics applications ferromagnetic oxides may play a key role because they can exhibit extraordinary high spin polarization. Indeed, there are already plenty of examples in spintronics, notably in the area of spin pumping and inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) \cite{Azevedo2011, Czeschka2011, Hahn2013, Obstbaum2014}. Although complex oxides have been used in these experiments as a source of spin currents, they have never been demonstrated to act as a spin sink that exhibits ISHE. Here we show that in a heterostructure consisting of La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$ (LSMO) and SrRuO$_{3}$ (SRO) the low temperature ferromagnet SRO can act as a spin sink and exhibit a sizeable ISHE which persists even below its Curie temperature. This result opens up new possibilities for application of all oxide heterostructures in spintronics and may significantly extend the research on spin Hall effect and related phenomena., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

We report the fabrication of nanostructures from the quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (q2DEG) formed at the LaAlO$_{3}$/ SrTiO$_{3}$ (LAO/STO) interface. The process uses electron beam lithography in combination with reactive ion etching. This technique allows to pattern high-quality structures down to lateral dimensions as small as $100$nm while maintaining the conducting properties without inducing conductivity in the STO substrate. Temperature dependent transport properties of patterned Hall bars of various widths show only a small size dependence of conductivity at low temperature as well as at room temperature. The deviation can be explained by a narrow lateral depletion region. All steps of the patterning process are fully industry compatible., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We demonstrate the current-induced complete magnetization reversal of the free layer in lateral nanowires patterned from metallic pseudo spin valve stacks. The reversal is induced by Oersted fields in conjunction with a dipolar coupling via the lateral stray fields of the two magnetic layers. Starting from the parallel state the Oersted field rotates the magnetization vectors of both magnetic layers in opposite directions so far off the wire axis that the dipolar coupling becomes strong enough to stabilize an antiparallel configuration. As simulations and experiments show this coupling is only achieved for a narrow range of layer thicknesses and for suitable wire geometries. The reversal process is demonstrated as well for straight wires as for wire segments of L-shaped wires with inhomogeneous magnetization in which domain walls are present before and after the switching process., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures

A fabrication process for vertical organic spin-valve devices has been developed which offers the possibility to achieve active device areas of less than 500x500 nm^2 and is flexible in terms of material choice for the active layers. Characterization of the resulting devices shows a large magnetoresistance of sometimes more than 100%, however with equally large variation from device to device. Comparison with large-area spin-valves indicates that the magnetoresistance of both, large and small devices most likely originates from tunneling through pinholes and tunneling magnetoresistance., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

We report the successful fabrication of lateral organic spin valves with a channel length in the sub $100\,nm$ regime. The fabication process is based on in-situ shadow evaporation under UHV conditions and therefore yields clean and oxygen-free interfaces between the ferromagnetic metallic electrodes and the organic semiconductor. The spin valve devices consist of Nickel and Cobalt-iron electrodes and the high mobility \emph{n}-type organic semiconductor $N,N'$-bis(heptafluorobutyl)-$3,4:9,10$-perylene diimide. Our studies comprise fundamental investigations of the process' and materials' suitability for the fabrication of lateral spin valve devices as well as magnetotransport measurements at room temperature. The best devices exhibit a magnetoresistance of up to $50\,%$, the largest value for room temperature reported so far., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures Small additions in description of processing and magneto optic characterization

Photoluminescence (PL) of the 50 nm $Zn_{0.9}Be_{0.05}Mn_{0.05}Se$/ $d$ nm $Zn_{0.943}Be_{0.057}Se$/ 2.5 nm $ZnSe$/ 30 nm $Zn_{0.943}Be_{0.057}Se$ structures is investigated as a function of magnetic field ($B$) and thickness ($d$) of intermediate $Zn_{0.943}Be_{0.057}Se$ nonmagnetic barrier between the $Zn_{0.9}Be_{0.05}Mn_{0.05}Se$ semimagnetic barrier and $ZnSe$ quantum well at the temperature 1.2 K. The rate of the shift of different PL bands of the structures under study is estimated in low and high magnetic fields. The causes of the shift rate increase under pass from low to high magnetic fields are interpreted. The peculiarities of the effect of the intermediate barrier on the luminescence properties of the structures are presented. It is shown that deformation of adjacent layers by the barrier plays a crucial role in the formation of these properties, especially in forming the $Mn$ complexes in the $Zn_{0.9}Be_{0.05}Mn_{0.05}Se$ layer. The change of the band gap as well as of the donor and acceptor levels energies under the effect of biaxial compression of the $Zn_{0.9}Be_{0.05}Mn_{0.05}Se$ layer by the $Zn_{0.943}Be_{0.057}Se$ are estimated. It is concluded that the $Zn_{0.943}Be_{0.057}Se$ intermediate barrier also appreciably changes the effect of giant Zeeman splitting of the semimagnetic $Zn_{0.9}Be_{0.05}Mn_{0.05}Se$ barrier energy levels on the movement of the energy levels of $ZnSe$ quantum well in a magnetic field and on polarization of the quantum well exciton emission.

We use lithographically induced strain relaxation to periodically modulate the magnetic anisotropy in a single (Ga,Mn)As layer. This results in a lateral magnetoresistance device where two non-volatile magnetic states exist at zero external magnetic field with resistances resulting from the orientation of two lithographically defined regions in a single and contiguous layer., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures

We report on the observation of Fermi edge enhanced resonant tunneling transport in a II-VI semiconductor heterostructure. The resonant transport through a self assembled CdSe quantum dot survives up to 45 K and probes a disordered two dimensional (2D) like emitter which dominates the magnetic field dependence of the transport. An enhancement of the tunnel current through many particle effects is clearly observable, even without an applied magnetic field. Additional fine structure in the tunneling current suggests that while conventional Fermi edge singularity theory successfull reproduces the general features of the increased transmission, it is not adequate to describe all details of the current enhancement.

We report the discovery of an effect where two ferromagnetic materials, one semiconductor ((Ga,Mn)As) and one metal (permalloy), can be directly deposited on each other and still switch their magnetization independently. We use this independent magnetization behavior to create various resistance states dependent on the magnetization direction of the individual layers. At zero magnetic field a two layer device can reach up to four non-volatile resistance states.

This paper discusses transport methods for the investigation of the (Ga,Mn)As magnetic anisotropy. Typical magnetoresistance behaviour for different anisotropy types is discussed, focusing on an in depth discussion of the anisotropy fingerprint technique and extending it to layers with primarily uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. We find that in all (Ga,Mn)As films studied, three anisotropy components are always present. The primary biaxial along ([100] and [010]) along with both uniaxial components along the [110] and [010] crystal directions which are often reported separately. Various fingerprints of typical (Ga,Mn)As transport samples at 4 K are included to illustrate the variation of the relative strength of these anisotropy terms. We further investigate the temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy and the domain wall nucleation energy with the help of the fingerprint method.

This paper reports on a detailed magnetotransport investigation of the magnetic anisotropies of (Ga,Mn)As layers produced by various sources worldwide. Using anisotropy fingerprints to identify contributions of the various higher order anisotropy terms, we show that the presence of both a [100] and a [110] uniaxial anisotropy in addition to the primary ([100] + [010]) anisotropy is common to all medium doped (Ga,Mn)As layers typically used in transport measurement, with the amplitude of these uniaxial terms being characteristic of the individual layers.

We investigate the current-voltage characteristics of a II-VI semiconductor resonant-tunneling diode coupled to a diluted magnetic semiconductor injector. As a result of an external magnetic field, a giant Zeeman splitting develops in the injector, which modifies the band structure of the device, strongly affecting the transport properties. We find a large increase in peak amplitude accompanied by a shift of the resonance to higher voltages with increasing fields. We discuss a model which shows that the effect arises from a combination of three-dimensional incident distribution, giant Zeeman spin splitting and broad resonance linewidth., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

We obtain control of magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial (Ga,Mn)As by anisotropic strain relaxation in patterned structures. The strain in the structures is characterized using sophisticated X-ray techniques. The magnetic anisotropy before patterning of the layer, which shows biaxial easy axes along [100] and [010], is replaced by a hard axis in the direction of large elastic strain relaxation and a uniaxial easy axis in the direction where pseudomorphic conditions are retained. This strong anisotropy can not be explained by shape anisotropy and is attributed solely to lattice strain relaxation. Upon increasing the uniaxial strain anisotropy in the (Ga,Mn)As stripes, we also observe an increase in magnetic anisotropy.

Progress in (Ga,Mn)As lithography has recently allowed us to realize structures where unique magnetic anisotropy properties can be imposed locally in various regions of a given device. We make use of this technology to fabricate a device in which we study transport through a constriction separating two regions whose magnetization direction differs by 90 degrees. We find that the resistance of the constriction depends on the flow of the magnetic field lines in the constriction region and demonstrate that such a structure constitutes a non-volatile memory device.

The focus of studies on ferromagnetic semiconductors is moving from material issues to device functionalities based on novel phenomena often associated with the anisotropy properties of these materials. This is driving a need for a method to locally control the anisotropy in order to allow the elaboration of devices. Here we present a method which provides patterning induced anisotropy which not only can be applied locally, but also dominates over the intrinsic material anisotropy at all temperatures.

The rich magnetic anisotropy of compressively strained (Ga,Mn)As has attracted great interest recently. Here we discuss a sensitive method to visualize and quantify the individual components of the magnetic anisotropy using transport. A set of high resolution transport measurements is compiled into color coded resistance polar plots, which constitute a fingerprint of the symmetry components of the anisotropy. As a demonstration of the sensitivity of the method, we show that these typically reveal the presence of both the [-110] and the [010] uniaxial magnetic anisotropy component in (Ga,Mn)As layers, even when most other techniques reveal only one of these components., Comment: The figures have been compressed to satisfy the site size limitations. Higher quality images can be obtained from the authors if needed

Current induced magnetization switching and resistance associated with domain walls pinned in nanoconstrictions have both been previously reported in (Ga,Mn)As based devices, but using very dissimilar experimental schemes and device geometries . Here we report on the simultaneous observation of both effects in a single nanodevice, which constitutes a significant step forward towards the eventual realization of spintronic devices which make use of domain walls to store, transport, and manipulate information.

We demonstrate tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) junctions based on a tri layer system consisting of an epitaxial NiMnSb, aluminum oxide and CoFe tri layer. The junctions show a tunnelling magnetoresistance of Delta R/R of 8.7% at room temperature which increases to 14.7% at 4.2K. The layers show clear separate switching and a small ferromagnetic coupling. A uniaxial in plane anisotropy in the NiMnSb layer leads to different switching characteristics depending on the direction in which the magnetic field is applied, an effect which can be used for sensor applications., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Lett

Using an ultra sensitive magneto-optical Kerr rotation setup we have observed electrical spin injection from (Zn,Mn)Se into bulk GaAs and quantified the spin injection efficiency. The current induced contribution was carefully separated from possible artifacts and studied as a function of voltage and external magnetic field. Our measurements allow us to estimate the concentration of the electrically injected spins into GaAs to be approximately 0.4$\times10^{15}$cm$^{-3}$ at a reverse bias of 0.7 V., Comment: Submitted to PRL

A key element in the emergence of a full spintronics technology is the development of voltage controlled spin filters to selectively inject carriers of desired spin into semiconductors. We previously demonstrated a prototype of such a device using a II-VI dilute-magnetic semiconductor quantum well which, however, still required an external magnetic field to generate the level splitting. Recent theory suggests that spin selection may be achievable in II-VI paramagnetic semiconductors without external magnetic field through local carrier mediated ferromagnetic interactions. We present the first experimental observation of such an effect using non-magnetic CdSe self-assembled quantum dots in a paramagnetic (Zn,Be,Mn)Se barrier., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We report the discovery of a super-giant tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in an epitaxially grown (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs/(Ga,Mn)As structure. The effect arises from a strong dependence of the electronic structure of ferromagnetic semiconductors on the magnetization orientation rather than from a parallel or antiparallel alignment of the contacts. The key novel spintronics features of this effect are: (i) both normal and inverted spin-valve like signals; (ii) a large non-hysteretic magnetoresistance for magnetic fields perpendicular to the interfaces; (iii) magnetization orientations for extremal resistance are, in general, not aligned with the magnetic easy and hard axis. (iv) Enormous amplification of the effect at low bias and temperatures.

We introduce a new class of spintronics devices in which a spin-valve like effect results from strong spin-orbit coupling in a single ferromagnetic layer rather than from injection and detection of a spin-polarized current by two coupled ferromagnets. The effect is observed in a normal-metal/insulator/ferromagnetic-semiconductor tunneling device. This behavior is caused by the interplay of the anisotropic density of states in (Ga,Mn)As with respect to the magnetization direction, and the two-step magnetization reversal process in this material., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PRL

We have fabricated (Ga,Mn)As nanostructures in which domain walls can be pinned by sub-10 nm constrictions. Controlled by shape anisotropy, we can switch the regions on either side of the constriction to either parallel or antiparallel magnetization. All samples exhibit a positive magnetoresistance, consistent with domain-wall trapping. For metallic samples we find a magnetoresistance up to 8%, which can be understood from spin accumulation. In samples where, due to depletion at the constriction, a tunnel barrier is formed, we observe a magnetoresistance of up to 2000 %., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submited to Phys. Rev. Lett

We have fabricated all II-VI semiconductor resonant tunneling diodes based on the (Zn,Mn,Be)Se material system, containing dilute magnetic material in the quantum well, and studied their current-voltage characteristics. When subjected to an external magnetic field the resulting spin splitting of the levels in the quantum well leads to a splitting of the transmission resonance into two separate peaks. This is interpreted as evidence of tunneling transport through spin polarized levels, and could be the first step towards a voltage controlled spin filter., Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev. Lett

Semiconductor spintronics will need to control spin injection phenomena in the non-linear regime. In order to study these effects we have performed spin injection measurements from a dilute magnetic semiconductor [(Zn,Be,Mn)Se] into nonmagnetic (Zn,Be)Se at elevated bias. When the applied voltage is increased to a few mV we find a strong decrease of the spin injection efficiency. The observed behavior is modelled by extending the charge-imbalance model for spin injection to include band bending and charge accumulation at the interface of the two compounds. We find that the observed effects can be attributed to repopulation of the minority spin level in the magnetic semiconductor., Comment: tex file, 4 eps figures

A novel magnetoresistance effect, due to the injection of a spin-polarized electron current from a dilute magnetic into a non-magnetic semiconductor, is presented. The effect results from the suppression of a spin channel in the non-magnetic semiconductor and can theoretically yield a positive magnetoresistance of 100%, when the spin flip length in the non-magnetic semiconductor is sufficiently large. Experimentally, our devices exhibit up to 25% magnetoresistance., Comment: 3 figures, submitted for publication

We have calculated the spin-polarization effects of a current in a two dimensional electron gas which is contacted by two ferromagnetic metals. In the purely diffusive regime, the current may indeed be spin-polarized. However, for a typical device geometry the degree of spin-polarization of the current is limited to less than 0.1%, only. The change in device resistance for parallel and antiparallel magnetization of the contacts is up to quadratically smaller, and will thus be difficult to detect., Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 3 figures (eps), Definition of spin pilarization changed to standard definition in GMR, some straight forward algebra removed. To appear as PRB Rap. Comm. August 15th