Room-Temperature Spin Injection from Fe into GaAs

H. J. Zhu; M. Ramsteiner; H. Kostial; M. Wassermeier; H.-P. Schönherr; K. H. Ploog

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.016601

Room-Temperature Spin Injection from Fe into GaAs

H. J. Zhu, M. Ramsteiner, H. Kostial, M. Wassermeier, H.-P. Schönherr, and K. H. Ploog

Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 016601 – Published 15 June 2001

Abstract

Injection of spin polarized electrons from a metal into a semiconductor is demonstrated for a GaAs/(In,Ga)As light emitting diode covered with Fe. The circular polarization degree of the observed electroluminescence reveals a spin injection efficiency of $2 %$ . The underlying injection mechanism is explained in terms of a tunneling process.