A differential spin current detection scheme

摘要

We provide detailed calculations for modeling an alternative scheme to detect spin polarization of conduction electrons injected into a nonmagnetic metal or degeneratively doped semiconductor using transport to two oppositely polarized ferromagnetic metal contacts. We show that, as in the well-known spin injection problem, detection efficiency can be amplified by the addition of spin-selective tunneling barriers. Considering the appropriate geometry and achievable injection rates, we estimate that the differential current can be as high as 1-10 nA for reasonable design parameters.