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Spin injection/detection using an organic-based magnetic semiconductor

Nature Materials volume 9, pages 638–642 (2010)Cite this article

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An Erratum to this article was published on 01 September 2010

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Abstract

The new paradigm of electronics, ‘spintronics’, promises to extend the functionality of information storage and processing in conventional electronics1. The principal spintronics device, the ‘spin valve’, consists of two magnetic layers decoupled by a spin-transporting spacer, which allows parallel (on) and antiparallel (off) alignment of the magnetizations (spins) of the two magnetic layers. The device resistance then depends on the spin alignment controlled by the external magnetic field. In pursuit of semiconductor spintronics2, there have been intensive efforts devoted to develop room-temperature magnetic semiconductors3 and also to incorporate both inorganic semiconductors4 and carbon-based materials5,6,7,8,9,10,11 as the spin-transporting channels. Molecule/organic-based magnets, which allow chemical tuning of electronic and magnetic properties, are a promising new class of magnetic materials for future spintronic applications12,13. Here, we report the realization of an organic-based magnet as an electron spin polarizer in the standard spintronics device geometry. A thin non-magnetic organic semiconductor layer and an epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide film were employed to form a hybrid magnetic tunnel junction. The results demonstrate the spin-polarizing nature of the organic-based magnetic semiconductor, vanadium(TCNE: tetracyanoethylene)x (x∼2; Tc∼400 K), and its function as a spin injector/detector in hybrid magnetic multilayer devices.

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Figure 1: Schematic view of a density of states in the organic-based magnetic semiconductor V(TCNE)x.
Figure 2: Magnetoresistance and device characteristics of a hybrid magnetic tunnel junction.
Figure 3: Temperature dependence of magnetoresistance.
Figure 4: Bias dependence of magnetoresistance.

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Change history

  • 23 July 2010

    In the original version of this article published online and in print, the received date should have been 29 December 2009, not 2010. This has been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of this Letter.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. S. Miller and K. I. Pokhodnya for initial collaboration and their help in developing V(TCNE)x film. This work was supported in part by AFOSR Grant No. FA9550-06-1-0175, DOE Grant Nos DE-FG02-01ER45931, DE-FG02-86ER45271, DE-FG02-06ER46327, NSF Grant No. DMR-0805220 and ONR Grant No. N00014-07-1-0215.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1117, USA

    Jung-Woo Yoo, V. N. Prigodin & A. J. Epstein

  2. Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1173, USA

    Jung-Woo Yoo & A. J. Epstein

  3. Chemical Physics Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1106, USA

    Chia-Yi Chen

  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1595, USA

    H. W. Jang, C. W. Bark & C. B. Eom

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Contributions

J-W.Y., V.N.P. and A.J.E. wrote the manuscript. J-W.Y. and A.J.E. worked on device characteristics, data collection and analysis. J-W.Y. and C-Y.C. did device fabrication. C-Y.C. did CVD growth for V(TCNE)x films and synthesis for the precursors of V(TCNE)x. H.W.J., C.W.B. and C.B.E. prepared epitaxial LSMO samples with LAO capping. All authors discussed the progress of research and reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. J. Epstein.

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Yoo, JW., Chen, CY., Jang, H. et al. Spin injection/detection using an organic-based magnetic semiconductor. Nature Mater 9, 638–642 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2797

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