Seng Ghee Tan

Valley filter in strain engineered graphene

We propose a simple, yet highly efficient and robust device for producing valley polarized current in graphene. The device comprises of two distinct components; a region of uniform uniaxial strain, adjacent to an out-of-plane magnetic barrier configuration formed by patterned ferromagnetic stripes. We show that when the amount of strain, magnetic field strength, and Fermi level are properly tuned, the output current can be made to consist of only a single valley contribution. Perfect valley filtering is achievable within experimentally accessible parameters.

High spin filtering using multiple magnetoelectric barriers

A periodic array of magnetoelectric barriers is modeled to achieve maximum spin polarization (P) at high transmission probability (T). Each double-pair unit of the array consists of four magnetic barriers designed in several ways, such that an electron passing through, in the Landau gauge A=(0,Ay(x),0), acquires zero gain in kinetic energy. This enables multiple double-pairs to be used to enhance P without sacrificing T. By tuning the magnetoelectric barrier heights, a high P of 75%–100% is obtained at 0.8–1.0EF, for a 27 unit array. For antisymmetrical arrays, electrical barriers act as a switch to the polarization capability.

Topological Insulator Cell for Memory and Magnetic Sensor Applications

We propose a memory device based on magnetically doped surfaces of 3D topological insulators. Magnetic information stored on the surface is read out via the quantized Hall effect, which is characterized by a topological invariant. Consequently, the read out process is insensitive to disorder, variations in device geometry, and imperfections in the writing process.

Unified description of intrinsic spin-Hall effect mechanisms

The intrinsic spin-Hall effects (SHEs) in p-doped semiconductors (Murakami et al Science 301 1348) and two-dimensional electron gases with Rashba spin–orbit coupling (Sinova et al 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 126603) have been the subject of many theoretical studies, but their driving mechanisms have yet to be described in a unified manner. The former effect arises from the adiabatic topological curvature of momentum space, from which holes acquire a spin-dependent anomalous velocity. The SHE in Rashba systems, on the other hand, results from momentum-dependent spin dynamics in the presence of an external electric field. Our motivation in this paper is to address the disparity between the two mechanisms and, in particular, to clarify whether there is any underlying link between the two effects. In this endeavor, we consider the explicit time dependence of SHE systems starting with a general spin–orbit model in the presence of an electric field. We find that by performing a gauge transformation of the general model with respect to time, a well-defined gauge field appears in time space which has the physical significance of an effective magnetic field. This magnetic field is shown to precisely account for the SHE in the Rashba system in the adiabatic limit. Remarkably, by applying the same limit to the equations of motion of the general model, this magnetic field is also found to be the underlying origin of the anomalous velocity due to the momentum-space curvature. Thus, our study unifies the two seemingly disparate intrinsic SHEs under a common adiabatic framework.

Magnetoresistive effect in graphene nanoribbon due to magnetic field induced band gap modulation

The electronic properties of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) can be significantly modified from semiconducting to metallic states by applying a uniform perpendicular magnetic field (B-field). Here, we theoretically study the band gap modulation induced by a perpendicular B-field. The applied B-field causes the lowest conduction subband and the topmost valence subband to move closer to one another to form the n=0 Landau level. We exploit this effect to realize a device relevant magnetoresistive (MR) modulation. Unlike in conventional spin-valves, this intrinsic MR effect is realized without the use of any ferromagnetic leads. The AGNRs with number of dimers, Na=3p+1[p=1,2,3,…] show the most promising behavior for MR applications with large conductance modulation, and hence, high MR ratio at the optimal source-drain bias. However, the MR is suppressed at higher temperature due to the spread of the Fermi function distribution. We also investigate the importance of the source-drain bias in optimizing th...

Layer thickness effect on the magnetoresistance of a current-perpendicular-to-plane spin valve

We performed a theoretical study and analysis of the effect of modifying the layer thicknesses of a current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) spin valve multilayer on its magnetoresistance (MR) ratio. An increase in the ferromagnetic (FM) layer thickness results in (i) an increase in the spin-dependent component of its total resistance, thereby resulting in higher MR, but also leads to (ii) greater spin relaxation in that layer and (iii) an anomalous MR effect in the high resistance regime, both of which suppress the MR ratio. The interplay of these effects results in a complex MR dependence on FM thickness, instead of the simple monotonic MR increase predicted by the two-current model. It also explains the existence of an optimum FM thickness for maximum MR ratio, as evidenced by experimental data. Finally, we consider the MR dependence on the strength and spin selectivity of interfacial resistances, which can either arise naturally or be engineered in the spin valve structure. The study of the combined effec...

Efficient dual spin-valley filter in strained silicene

A two-barrier device is proposed in this work which can create valley-spin polarization and filtering function in strain engineered silicene. The device consists of two parts: 1) a region of uniaxial strain and exchange field arising from the adjacent top and bottom magnetic insulators, and 2) a region with magnetic field arising from two ferromagnetic stripes, and an electrochemical potential generated by top and bottom gates.

Giant Faraday and Kerr rotation with strained graphene.

Polarized electromagnetic waves passing through (reflected from) a dielectric medium parallel to a magnetic field undergo Faraday (Kerr) rotation of their polarization. Recently, Faraday rotation angles as much as 0.1 rad were observed for terahertz waves propagating through graphene over a SiC substrate. We show that the same effect is observable with the magnetic field replaced by an in-plane strain field which induces a pseudomagnetic field in graphene. With two such sheets a rotation of π/4 can be achieved, which is the required rotation for an optical diode. Similarly a Kerr rotation of 1/4 rad is predicted from a single reflection from a strained graphene sheet.

The effect of magnetic field and disorders on the electronic transport in graphene nanoribbons

We developed a unified mesoscopic transport model for graphene nanoribbons, which combines the nonequilibrium Greens function (NEGF) formalism with the real-space π-orbital model. Based on this model, we probe the spatial distribution of electrons under a magnetic field, in order to obtain insights into the various signature Hall effects in disordered armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNR). In the presence of a uniform perpendicular magnetic field (B[Symbol: see text]-field), a perfect AGNR shows three distinct spatial current profiles at equilibrium, depending on its width. Under nonequilibrium conditions (i.e. in the presence of an applied bias), the net electron flow is restricted to the edges and occurs in opposite directions depending on whether the Fermi level lies within the valence or conduction band. For electrons at an energy level below the conduction window, the B[Symbol: see text]-field gives rise to local electron flux circulation, although the global flux is zero. Our study also reveals the suppression of electron backscattering as a result of the edge transport which is induced by the B[Symbol: see text]-field. This phenomenon can potentially mitigate the undesired effects of disorder, such as bulk and edge vacancies, on the transport properties of AGNR. Lastly, we show that the effect of [Formula: see text]-field on electronic transport is less significant in the multimode compared to the single-mode electron transport.

Utilization of magnetoelectric potential in ballistic nanodevices

We propose a ballistic, coherent transmission system that utilizes the magnetic and electric barriers as Boolean input variables to realize functions similar in principle to the conventional logic gates. For practical implementation of these functions, we propose to use a device construct based on the high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) with ferromagnetic (FM) and nonmagnetic (NM) metal gates deposited on top of the HEMT heterostructure. This device system can be manipulated to realize multiple logic functions such as OR, AND, and their inverse by applying different magnetic and electric field configurations on the FM and the NM gates. The charge transport simulation is based on the single particle effective mass Hamiltonian and ballistic charge transport. The calculation results demonstrate clear binary outputs corresponding to various logic functions, with “high” (“low”) state having transmission probability of T>90% (T<10%).