Abstract
Standard electronic devices encode bits of information by controlling the amount of electric charge in the circuits. Alternatively, it is possible to make devices that rely on other properties of electrons than their charge. For example, spintronic devices make use of the electron spin angular momentum as a carrier of information. A new concept is valleytronics in which information is encoded by the valley quantum number of the electron. The analogy between the valley and spin degrees of freedom also implies the possibility of valley-based quantum computing. In this Article, we demonstrate for the first time generation, transport (across macroscopic distances) and detection of valley-polarized electrons in bulk diamond with a relaxation time of 300 ns at 77 K. We anticipate that these results will form the basis for the development of integrated valleytronic devices.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the Swedish Research Council for financial support (research grant 621-2010-4011).
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J.I. and J.H. designed the experiment and prepared the manuscript. J.I., J.H., M.G., S.M. and K.K.K. performed the measurements. J.I. provided the interpretation and performed the computer simulations. M.G., S.M. and K.K.K. prepared the samples and D.J.T. was responsible for sample CVD. All authors discussed the results and gave input to the manuscript.
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Isberg, J., Gabrysch, M., Hammersberg, J. et al. Generation, transport and detection of valley-polarized electrons in diamond. Nature Mater 12, 760–764 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3694
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3694
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