High-frequency spin valve effect in ferromagnet-semiconductor-ferromagnet structure based on precession of injected spins

Abstract

New mechanism of magnetoresistance, based on tunneling-emission of spin polarized electrons from ferromagnets (FM) into semiconductors (S) and precession of electron spin in the semiconductor layer under external magnetic field, is described. The FM-S-FM structure is considered, which includes very thin heavily doped (delta-doped) layers at FM-S interfaces. At certain parameters the structure is highly sensitive at room-temperature to variations of the field with frequencies up to 100 GHz. The current oscillates with the field, and its relative amplitude is determined only by the spin polarizations of FM-S junctions at relatively large bias voltage.