Electrically Tunable Spin Polarization in a Carbon-Nanotube Spin Diode

Abstract

We have studied the current through a carbon nanotube quantum dot with one ferromagnetic and one normal-metal lead. For the values of gate voltage at which the normal lead is resonant with the single available non-degenerate energy level on the dot, we observe a pronounced decrease in the current for one bias direction. We show that this rectification is spin-dependent, and that it stems from the interplay between the spin accumulation and the Coulomb blockade on the quantum dot. Our results imply that the current is spin-polarized for one direction of the bias, and that the degree of spin polarization is fully and precisely tunable using the gate and bias voltages. As the operation of this spin diode does not require high magnetic fields or optics, it could be used as a building block for electrically controlled spintronic devices.

17 pages, 4 figures

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• Spin-polarized current and shot noise in the presence of spin flip in a quantum dot via nonequilibrium Green's functions
• Curvature-induced anisotropic spin-orbit splitting in carbon nanotubes
• Spin Diode Behavior in Transport Through Single-Molecule Magnets
• Electrically controlled quantum dot based spin current injector
• Generation of pure spin currents by superconducting proximity effect in quantum dots
• Spin switching via quantum dot spin valves
• Current and Shot Noise Measurements in a Carbon Nanotube-Based Spin Diode
• Spin-current diode with a ferromagnetic semiconductor
• Scanning Tunneling Microscope Operating as a Spin-diode
• Large voltage-tunable spin valve based on a double quantum dot
• Spin controlled nanomechanics induced by single-electron tunneling
• Spin Seebeck effect of correlated magnetic molecules
• Charge and heat transport through quantum dots with local and correlated-hopping interactions
• Anisotropic magneto-Coulomb effect versus spin accumulation in a ferromagnetic single-electron device
• Fano-Kondo Spin Filter
• Spin and tunneling dynamics in an asymmetrical double quantum dot with spin - orbit coupling