Abstract
Controlling the intensity of emitted light and charge current is the basis of transferring and processing information1. By contrast, robust information storage and magnetic random-access memories are implemented using the spin of the carrier and the associated magnetization in ferromagnets2. The missing link between the respective disciplines of photonics, electronics and spintronics is to modulate the circular polarization of the emitted light, rather than its intensity, by electrically controlled magnetization. Here we demonstrate that this missing link is established at room temperature and zero applied magnetic field in light-emitting diodes2,3,4,5,6,7, through the transfer of angular momentum between photons, electrons and ferromagnets. With spin–orbit torque8,9,10,11, a charge current generates also a spin current to electrically switch the magnetization. This switching determines the spin orientation of injected carriers into semiconductors, in which the transfer of angular momentum from the electron spin to photon controls the circular polarization of the emitted light2. The spin–photon conversion with the nonvolatile control of magnetization opens paths to seamlessly integrate information transfer, processing and storage. Our results provide substantial advances towards electrically controlled ultrafast modulation of circular polarization and spin injection with magnetization dynamics for the next-generation information and communication technology12, including space–light data transfer. The same operating principle in scaled-down structures or using two-dimensional materials will enable transformative opportunities for quantum information processing with spin-controlled single-photon sources, as well as for implementing spin-dependent time-resolved spectroscopies.
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Data availability
All data generated and analysed in this work are available in a Zenodo repository (https://zenodo.org/records/10666881).
Change history
12 April 2024
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07401-4
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge B. Tao, S. Liang, A. Djeffal, T. H. Pham, J.-Y. Chen and M. Hehn for their contribution to the previous development of spin injectors. We thank S. Suire and C. Robert for their assistance with electroluminescence setups and L. Pasquier, O. Lerbert and D. Pierre for their help with MBE maintenance. We also acknowledge D. Crete for the discussion of the shunting problem. We appreciate the discussions on SOT spin-LEDs with A. Fert and Z.-G. Wang. We thank M. Hofmann for his support with the time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. This work is supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) SOTspinLED project (no. ANR-22-CE24-0006-01), by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within the Reinhart-Koselleck-Project (no. 490699635), by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems grant no. 2130845 (I.Ž. for LEDs) and by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences (BES) award no. DE-SC0004890 (I.Ž. for SOT). This work is also partially financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, grant no. 12134017). J.-P.W. thanks the partial support from the Robert Hartmann Endowed Chair Professorship and the National Science Foundation SHF: Small: Collaborative Research: Energy efficient strain-assisted spin transfer torque memory. We thank the French RENATECH network for the support of semiconductor growth and partial support from ‘Lorraine Université d’Excellence’ project (no. ANR-15-IDEX-04-LUE). The experiments were performed using equipment from the CC-DAUM, CC-MINALOR, CC-3M and CC-MAGCRYO platforms funded by FEDER (EU), ANR, the Region Lorraine and the metropole of Grand Nancy.
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Y.L. coordinated the research project. Y.L., P.A.D., J.-M.G., H.J., A.L. and M.M. conceived the sample structure. P.A.D., A.B., P.P., M.V. and J.-P.W. contributed to the fabrication of the spin injector. M.M., B.X. and A.L. grew the LED structure. P.A.D., P.R., L.L., D.L., M.S., G.C. and H.R. contributed to the electroluminescence characterizations. M.L. and N.C.G. carried out the TRPL characterizations. P.A.D., N.F.P., T.C., T.M., J.-M.G., H.J. and J.-C.R.S. characterized the magnetization switching of the spin injector. N.F.P. and P.A.D. performed the Kerr microscopy measurements. X.D. and P.A.D. performed the TEM characterizations. Y.L., I.Ž. and N.C.G. prepared the paper, with the help of P.A.D., X.D., P.R., X.M., M.C.B., H.J., J.-P.W., S.M. and X.H. All authors analysed the data, discussed the results and commented on the paper.
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Extended data figures and tables
Extended Data Fig. 1 Interfacial structure and chemical characterization of the spin injector.
a, Large-scale HR-STEM HAADF image showing a good homogeneity of the QD spin-LED multilayer structure. b, Enlarged HR-STEM BF image showing the injector multilayer structure. c, Maps for individual elements drawn from processed EELS spectrum images. d, Elemental profiles extracted from the maps of elements. The colors of the profile lines are consistent with the colors of the elemental maps in c.
Extended Data Fig. 2 RAHE of spin injector with a reversal of the in-plane Hx (compared to Fig. 2b in the main text).
RAHE of spin injector as a function of pulsed current, Ipulse, with the duration of tpulse = 0.1 s, at different temperatures with a small in-plane field Hx = +10 mT.
Extended Data Fig. 3 Polarization-resolved electroluminescence characterization of spin-LEDs.
a, Pc of the SOT spin-LED under bias, Vbias = +3.5 V (dashed lines with symbols) as a function of the out-of-plane magnetic field, Hz, and the corresponding SQUID hysteresis loop (blue solid line) measured at 300 K, respectively. The insets show the EL spectra measured at zero field, where Hz = ±0 T indicate that the sample M is first saturated by Hz = ±15 mT, respectively. b, Pc(T) of a standard spin-LED at a fixed Vbias = 3.5 V and Hz = 0 T. c, T dependence of τ and τs measured from the TRPL characterization, while the T dependence of the F factor is deduced from 1/(1+τ/τs). The error bars shown in (c) result from the fits of the time transients (see Extended Data Fig. 9).
Extended Data Fig. 4 Bias dependence of circular polarization measured in the SOT spin-LED.
a–e, EL spectra of the SOT spin-LED measured at 300 K and Hz = 0 T, with Vbias: (a) 1.7 V, (b) 2.26 V, (c) 2.4 V, (d) 2.88 V, (e) 3.1 V. f, Pc as a function of Vbias at 300 K and Hz = 0 T, for the SOT spin-LED.
Extended Data Fig. 5 Temperature dependence of circular polarization measured in the standard spin-LED.
a–f, EL spectra of the standard spin-LED measured at Hz = 0 T, with Vbias = 3.5 V and different T. (a) 10 K, (b) 100 K, (c) 150 K, (d) 200 K, (e) 250 K, (f) 300 K.
Extended Data Fig. 6 Repetition measurement of Pc at 300 K after different number of switching.
EL spectra of the SOT spin-LED measured at Hz = 0 T and Vbias = 3.5 V with a repetition of a single pulsed current M switching. a, First switching, b, 10th switching, c, 19th switching, d, 28th switching, e, 37th switching, and f, 46nd switching.
Extended Data Fig. 7 Stability of the ferromagnet/semiconductor Schottky interface after magnetization switching.
I−Vbias curves of the SOT spin-LED measured before and after the repetition switching at 300 K.
Extended Data Fig. 8 Pc loop as a function of pulsed switching current.
a, Pc loop as a function of the switching pulsed current, Ipulse, measured at 300 K. Each M switching is at Hx = +10 mT. b-h, EL spectra of the SOT spin-LED measured at Hz = 0 T and Vbias = 3.5 V after M switching corresponding to each point numbered in (a). For one loop, it starts from (b) +25 mA to (c) −15 mA, (d) −18 mA, (e) −25 mA, (f) −15 mA, (g) +18 mA, and (h) +20 mA.
Extended Data Fig. 9 Time-resolved photoluminescence and the extraction of spin and carrier lifetimes.
a, Typical PL intensity mapping at 100 K for QD LEDs as a function of time and photon wavelength. b, QD TRPL intensity evolution for the Sσ+ and Sσ− components measured at 300 K. c, Determination of τ from the exponential fit of the decay time for the PL intensity (Sσ+ + Sσ−). d, Determination of τs from the exponential fit of the decay time of Pc. The error bars shown in (c,d) result from the fits of the time transients.
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Supplementary Notes 1–8, including Supplementary Figs 1–8 and Supplementary Tables 1 and 2, and Supplementary References.
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Dainone, P.A., Prestes, N.F., Renucci, P. et al. Controlling the helicity of light by electrical magnetization switching. Nature 627, 783–788 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07125-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07125-5
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