Anisotropic magnetoresistance in single electron transport

Abstract

We study the effect of magnetic anisotropy in a single electron transistor with ferromagnetic electrodes and a non-magnetic island. We identify the variation $\hat{I}´\hat{I}¼$ of the chemical potential of the electrodes as a function of the magnetization orientation as a key quantity that permits to tune the electrical properties of the device. Different effects occur depending on the relative size of $\hat{I}´\hat{I}¼$ and the charging energy. We provide preliminary quantitative estimates of $\hat{I}´\hat{I}¼$ using a very simple toy model for the electrodes.

Conference article presented at PASPS IV, Sendai, August 2006