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The chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect, in which the structural chirality of a material determines the preference for the transmission of electrons with one spin orientation over that of the other, is emerging as a design principle for creating next-generation spintronic devices. CISS implies that the spin preference of chiral structures persists upon injection of pure spin currents and can act as a spin analyzer without the need for a ferromagnet. Here, we report an anomalous spin current absorption in chiral metal oxides that manifests a colossal anisotropic nonlocal Gilbert damping with a maximum-to-minimum ratio of up to 1000%. A twofold symmetry of the damping is shown to result from differential spin transmission and backscattering that arise from chirality-induced spin splitting along the chiral axis. These studies reveal the rich interplay of chirality and spin dynamics and identify how chiral materials can be implemented to direct the transport of spin current.
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Chirality‐Induced Magnet‐Free Spin Generation in a Semiconductor
Abstract Electrical generation and transduction of polarized electron spins in semiconductors (SCs) are of central interest in spintronics and quantum information science. While spin generation in SCs is frequently realized via electrical injection from a ferromagnet (FM), there are significant advantages in nonmagnetic pathways of creating spin polarization. One such pathway exploits the interplay of electron spin with chirality in electronic structures or real space. Here, utilizing chirality‐induced spin selectivity (CISS), the efficient creation of spin accumulation inn‐doped GaAs via electric current injection from a normal metal (Au) electrode through a self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) of chiral molecules (α‐helixl‐polyalanine, AHPA‐L), is demonstrated. The resulting spin polarization is detected as a Hanle effect in then‐GaAs, which is found to obey a distinct universal scaling with temperature and bias current consistent with chirality‐induced spin accumulation. The experiment constitutes a definitive observation of CISS in a fully nonmagnetic device structure and demonstration of its ability to generate spin accumulation in a conventional SC. The results thus place key constraints on the physical mechanism of CISS and present a new scheme for magnet‐free SC spintronics.
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- PAR ID:
- 10639315
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 36
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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