Transport through anisotropic magnetic molecules with partially ferromagnetic leads: Spin-charge conversion and negative differential conductance

Abstract

We theoretically investigate inelastic transport through anisotropic magnetic molecules weakly coupled to one ferromagnetic and one nonmagnetic lead. We find that the current is suppressed over wide voltage ranges due to spin blockade. In this system, spin blockade is associated with successive spin flips of the molecular spins and depends on the anisotropy energy barrier. This leads to the appearance of a window of bias voltages between the Coulomb blockade and spin blockade regimes where the current is large and to negative differential conductance at low temperatures. Remarkably, negative differential conductance is also present close to room temperature. Spin-blockade behavior is accompanied by super-Poissonian shot noise, like in nonmagnetic quantum dots. Finally, we show that the charge transmitted through the molecule between initial preparation in a certain spin state and infinite time very strongly depends on the initial spin state in certain parameter ranges. Thus the molecule can act as a spin-charge converter, an effect potentially useful as a read-out mechanism for molecular spintronics.