Hiroshi Imamura

Giant spin Hall effect in perpendicularly spin-polarized FePt/Au devices

Conversion of charge current into pure spin current and vice versa in non-magnetic semiconductors or metals, which are called the direct and inverse spin Hall effects (SHEs), provide a new functionality of materials for future spin-electronic architectures. Thus, the realization of a large SHE in a device with a simple and practical geometry is a crucial issue for its applications. Here, we present a multi-terminal device with a Au Hall cross and an FePt perpendicular spin injector to detect giant direct and inverse SHEs at room temperature. Perpendicularly magnetized FePt injects or detects perpendicularly polarized spin current without magnetic field, enabling the unambiguous identification of SHEs. The unprecedentedly large spin Hall resistance of up to 2.9 mOmega is attributed to the large spin Hall angle in Au through the skew scattering mechanism and the highly efficient spin injection due to the well-matched spin resistances of the chosen materials.

Spin Imbalance and Magnetoresistance in Ferromagnet/Superconductor/Ferromagnet Double Tunnel Junctions

We theoretically study the spin-dependent transport in a ferromagnet/super- conductor/ferromagnet double tunnel junction. The tunneling current in the antiferromagnetic alignment of the magnetizations gives rise to a spin imbalance in the superconductor. The resulting nonequilibrium spin density strongly suppresses the superconductivity with increase of bias voltage and destroys it at a critical voltage Vc. The results provide a new method not only for measuring the spin polarization of ferromagnets but also for controlling superconductivity and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) by applying the bias voltage.

Highly sensitive nanoscale spin-torque diode

Highly sensitive microwave devices that are operational at room temperature are important for high-speed multiplex telecommunications. Quantum devices such as superconducting bolometers possess high performance but work only at low temperature. On the other hand, semiconductor devices, although enabling high-speed operation at room temperature, have poor signal-to-noise ratios. In this regard, the demonstration of a diode based on spin-torque-induced ferromagnetic resonance between nanomagnets represented a promising development, even though the rectification output was too small for applications (1.4 mV mW(-1)). Here we show that by applying d.c. bias currents to nanomagnets while precisely controlling their magnetization-potential profiles, a much greater radiofrequency detection sensitivity of 12,000 mV mW(-1) is achievable at room temperature, exceeding that of semiconductor diode detectors (3,800 mV mW(-1)). Theoretical analysis reveals essential roles for nonlinear ferromagnetic resonance, which enhances the signal-to-noise ratio even at room temperature as the size of the magnets decreases.

Conductance quantization and magnetoresistance in magnetic point contacts.

We theoretically study the electron transport through a magnetic point contact (PC) with special attention given to the effect of an atomic scale domain wall (DW). The spin precession of a conduction electron is forbidden in such an atomic scale DW and the sequence of quantized conductances depends on the relative orientation of magnetizations between left and right electrodes. The magnetoresistance is strongly enhanced for the narrow PC and oscillates with the conductance.

Enhanced tunnel magnetoresistance in granular nanobridges

We have fabricated granular nanobridge structures consisting of electrodes separated by a nanometer-sized gap in which a thin insulating CoAlO granular film is filled, and measured the current–bias voltage characteristics in a magnetic field to investigate the spin-dependent transport. The Coulomb blockade with a clear threshold voltage (Vth) is observed at 4.2 K. Tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) is enhanced by fabricating nanobridges. TMR shows a maximum exceeding about 30% at the voltage slightly above Vth. This enhancement is explained by the orthodox theory of single electron tunneling in ferromagnetic multiple tunnel junctions.

Molecular aspects of electron correlation in quantum dots

The theory of electron correlation in semiconductor quantum dots is reviewed with emphasis on the physics of dots in strong magnetic fields. A brief survey of dot fabrication and experimental results is given, the quantum mechanics of small numbers of interacting electrons in a dot is discussed and the special values of angular momentum quantum number that the ground state is allowed to have, or magic numbers, are introduced. These numbers are selected because of the symmetry properties of the ground state and the symmetry is particularly evident in the limit of strong magnetic field if the system is examined in a moving reference frame. Physically, the system in this limit can be pictured as an electron molecule that rotates and vibrates in the dot, and this is the quantum dot analogue of a Wigner crystal. This is illustrated with a detailed treatment of a two-electron dot which can be studied without resorting to any special concepts of molecular physics. Next, the molecular physics concepts, such as the Eckart reference frame, needed to deal with rotational-vibrational motion of larger numbers of electrons are introduced. The physics of dots with more than two electrons is then described, including the evolution of magic numbers with electron number and the implications of symmetry. Finally, the extension of these ideas to larger systems and coupled dots is briefly discussed. Quantum dots in strong magnetic fields provide a unique opportunity to realize what could be called electron molecular physics, and some possible ways of probing the system experimentally are also proposed.

Coherent transfer of light polarization to electron spins in a semiconductor.

We demonstrate that the superposition of light polarization states is coherently transferred to electron spins in a semiconductor quantum well. By using time-resolved Kerr rotation, we observe the initial phase of Larmor precession of electron spins whose coherence is transferred from light. To break the electron-hole spin entanglement, we utilized the big discrepancy between the transverse g factors of electrons and light-holes. The result encourages us to make a quantum media converter between flying photon qubits and stationary electron-spin qubits in semiconductors.

Spin-dependent Coulomb blockade in ferromagnet/normal-metal/ferromagnet double tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the spin-dependent transport in ferromagnet/normal-metal/ferromagnet double tunnel junctions by special attention to cotunneling in the Coulomb blockade region. The spin accumulation caused by cotunneling squeezes the Coulomb blockade region when the magnetizations in the ferromagnetic electrodes are antiparallel. Outside the squeezed Coulomb blockade region, we propose an anomalous region where the sequential tunneling in one of the spin bands is suppressed by the Coulomb blockade and that in the other is not. In this region, the tunnel magnetoresistance oscillates as a function of bias voltage. The temperature dependences of the tunnel magnetoresistance and the magnitude of the spin accumulation are calculated.

Spin state tomography of optically injected electrons in a semiconductor

Spin is a fundamental property of electrons, with an important role in information storage. For spin-based quantum information technology, preparation and read-out of the electron spin state are essential functions. Coherence of the spin state is a manifestation of its quantum nature, so both the preparation and read-out should be spin-coherent. However, the traditional spin measurement technique based on Kerr rotation, which measures spin population using the rotation of the reflected light polarization that is due to the magneto-optical Kerr effect, requires an extra step of spin manipulation or precession to infer the spin coherence. Here we describe a technique that generalizes the traditional Kerr rotation approach to enable us to measure the electron spin coherence directly without needing to manipulate the spin dynamics, which allows for a spin projection measurement on an arbitrary set of basis states. Because this technique enables spin state tomography, we call it tomographic Kerr rotation. We demonstrate that the polarization coherence of light is transferred to the spin coherence of electrons, and confirm this by applying the tomographic Kerr rotation method to semiconductor quantum wells with precessing and non-precessing electrons. Spin state transfer and tomography offers a tool for performing basis-independent preparation and read-out of a spin quantum state in a solid.

Andreev reflection in ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet double junction systems

We present a theory of Andreev reflection in a ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet double junction system. In the Andreev reflection process, the injected spin polarized quasiparticles convert into Cooper pairs in the superconductor within the range of the penetration depth from the interface. When the thickness of the superconductor is smaller than or comparable to the penetration depth, the spin polarized quasiparticles pass through the superconductor and therefore the electric current depends on the relative orientation of magnetizations of the ferromagnets. The dependences of the magnetoresistance on the thickness of the superconductor, temperature, the exchange field of the ferromagnets, and the height of the interfacial barriers are analyzed. Our theory explains recent experimental results well.