Current-voltage characteristics of tunable ferromagnet-silicon-ferromagnet channels in the spin blockade regime

Abstract

The steady current-voltage characteristics of ferromagnet-silicon-ferromagnet channels with tunable emitter and collector polarizations are investigated in the presence of spin blockade generalizing the model developed by Pershin Yu V and Di Ventra M (2008 {\it Phys. Rev.} B {\bf 77} 073301). The dependence of the critical current on both collector and emitter polarizations is obtained analytically. It is found that the current amplitude in the channel can be effectively tuned by varying the difference between the collector and emitter ferromagnet polarizations which allows to perform the magnetic manipulation of the electrical current in wide class of both n- and p-doped, low- and high-Ohmic semiconductor channels coupled to ferromagnetic leads.