Spin Transport

A Lecture NEGF+Landauer model

by
Σs
Supriyo Datta
µ1 H + U µ2
Σ1 Σ2
Notes prepared
By
Samiran Ganguly
Deepanjan Datta Further Reading
Angik Sarkar Nanoelectronics: A Unified View
Oxford Handbook on
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
December 2008 Eds. [Link] and [Link],
Volume I, Chapter 1
[Link]
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 Introductory comments
• Normally discussions of current flow and resistance starts from
big and complicated systems : Top down approach

• Reason is historical: Till recently it was not clear whether

resistance of small molecule even made sense.

• Experimentalists now can measure the resistance even of a

hydrogen molecule

• These developments warrant a Bottom up approach that can

provide a complementary (if not clearer) viewpoint.

• General Model: NEGF + Landauer

Summer school 2009

[Link]
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A 1-level device
1
q γ 1γ 2
h γ1 + γ 2
γ /h γ /h
1 2 0.8

µ2
0.6

γ1 + γ 2
0.4

0.2

µ1 0

-0.2
-0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

γ1,γ2 : how easily Maximum Conductance

electrons can get in and for one level:
out of the channel
G=q 2 / h

Levels come in pairs (spins)

Therefore, maximum conductance: G=2q 2 / h
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 Spin

Stern Gerlach experiment: observation of spin

µ B ~ 10 −23 A − m 2
=1mA−1Ang 2
B
H atoms

Zeeman splitting
All magnetic moment arises
+ µB B
due to electrons
B − µB B

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How to make spintronic device?

Use magnets as contacts

Rates (γ) become
different and can
>1ev
be denoted as α, β

Half metal

Huge amount of separation

µ B B = 10 −23 × 1T
= 10 −23 J
= 10 −4 eV

1eV would have required 10000T !!

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GMR Effect

Parallel Anti Parallel

α α α β
β β β α

q α β  q 2αβ
IP =  +  I AP =
h2 2 hα +β

2 2
I P (α + β ) (α + β )
= = 2 2
>1 GMR Effect
I AP 4αβ ( α + β ) − (α − β )

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Hanle Effect

B
α α
β β

Magnetic field causes precession of

the spin- polarized electrons : causes oscillations

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Polarization of light : an analogy to spin

Electro optic Modulator Difference with polarization of light:

Min. current when rotation is π, not π/2
Polarizer Analyzer

z z
Electro-optic θ xˆ − xˆ
Modulator ~ cos2 θ  up cos θ / 2 1 1 1  −1
spinors 
down sin θ / 2  ,  
x x 2  1 2  1 

Vectors: Spinors:

 x : sinθ cos ϕ  up : cos θ /2 e −iϕ / 2 

   +iϕ / 2 
 y : sin θ sin ϕ  dn : sin θ /2 e 
 z : cos θ 
 

Spinors have 2 complex components

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Why does spin precess: Schrodinger equation

d  u   µB B 0 u  Vector components:

ih   = 
dt  d   0 − µ B B   d  d 2µ B
Sx = −S y B
dt h
du d 2µ B
ih = µ B Bu dt
Sy = Sy B
h
dt
µB B
d
t Sy = 0
dt
u (t ) = u (0)e ih

−
µB B
t In Matrix form:
d (t ) = d (0)e ih

 Sx  0 −1 0   S x 
d   2 µ B Bz 1 0 0   S 
2µ B Bt Sy =
dt     y 
φ (t ) = S
 z
h
0 0 0   S z 
ih
Spinor:
d  u  µ B Bz 1 0   u 
 = 0 −1  d 
dt  d  ih   

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Spin precession: contd.

For B in x direction:
 Sx  0 0 0  Sx  d r 2µB r r
d   2µBBx 
S = 0 0 −1 S  S =− S ×B( )
dt   h   y  dt h
y

 Sz  0 1 0  Sz 

d  u  µBBx 0 1 u 
In spinor components:  =  
dt  d  ih 1 0 d 

Rotation matrices for vectors: Lz Lx − Lx Lz = Ly

For spinors σ zσ x − σ xσ z = 2iσ y

σ x ,σ y ,σ z Pauli spin matrices

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Pauli spin matrices using Basis transformation

1 0
σz =  
0 −1

If we use +x and –x as basis:

1 0
σx =  
0 −1

We use basis transformation to get back to z basis

xˆ − xˆ xˆ − xˆ zˆ − zˆ zˆ − zˆ
1 zˆ 1 −1 xˆ 1 0  xˆ  1 1 zˆ 0 1 
σx = ×  ×  = 
2 − zˆ 1 1  − xˆ 0 −1 − xˆ  −1 1 − zˆ 1 0 
   

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General NEGF-Landauer Model and inclusion of spin

Σ1 Σ2
Σs

µ1 µ2

H
Size of [H] depends on basis functions used
If we include spin, all matrices become double in size

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Hanle Effect as interference effect

 1 1  1 E
 
 1
 
 0
e ikL  
1

B
 − 1
z
 0 ik ' L
 
1  k
 
1 
e

Interference due to phase difference of (k-k’)L

Interference effect is destroyed by differential scattering

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Spin interference

Impurity does not flip Impurity flips

Impurity

 1 1 
 
 1
 
 0
e ika

Bz
 1 
 0  
 − 1
 
1 
e ik ' a

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 Spin Torque

A thin magnet can be flipped by spins

How ? A simple view
The magnet exerts a torque on the spin (d electrons -> s electrons)
The conduction electrons apply an equal and opposite torque on d electrons (s->d)

s d->s d s->d
Spin torque effect
r r r r gives rise to
µ × Beff = −m × B possibility of using
0.01T magnets as “Spin
10−6 spins
capacitors”
1spin
104 T

Two distinct fields

Spintronics and Magnetoelectronics
are merging into a single field
with interesting possibilities
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