Semiconductor Nanospintronics
| Numbering Code | G-ENG11 5C800 LB52 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture | |
| Target Year | Target Student | |||
| Language | Japanese and English | Day/Period | Tue.2 | |
| Instructor name | SHIRAISHI MASASHI (Graduate School of Engineering Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | Spintronics is now attracting tremendous attention, and is recognized as one of the most potential candidates to overcome the limit of the Moore's law. Spintronics possesses attractive and profound basis physics and also a potential to practical applications towards MRAMs and spin FETs. In this lecture, I introduce some important and basic theories and experimental techniques in spintronics using semiconductors, metals, insulators, oxides and so on. | |||
| Course Goals | Understanding basic physics of spin transport, spin current and spin-orbit coupling. Mastering calculation skills related with these topics. | |||
| Schedule and Contents |
Introduction,1time,Spin is a quantum quantity, and thus it is to induced by rotation of an electron (an electron is an elementary particle, i.e., it has no domain. Thus, rotation of an electron cannot be defined). Nevertheless, the spin degree of freedom can be coupled to spatial rotation because spin is a generator of infinitesimal rotation. I explain the essence of spin, its SU(2) algebra and so on. Relativistic quantum physics and spin-orbit interaction,5times,To understand spin manipulation and spin coherence in semiconductor, it is quite important what the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is. The SOI is a manifestation of a relativistic effect, and the Dirac equation, the equation of motion in relativistic quantum physics, is derived to understand the SOI. Next, the SOI is explicitly derived be expanding the Dirac equation. As a related important topic, electron motion in graphene, which can be described as massless Dirac fermion, and the Berry phase (a geometric phase that plays an important role in spintronics) of electrons in graphene are discussed. Electrical and dynamical spin injection into condensed matters and generation of pure spin current ,5-6times,Pure spin current is a quite significant physical current in spintronics using semiconductors and so on. Pure spin current is a current of only a spin degree of freedom without a net charge flow. I introduced some important papers and show how to derive essential equations describing generation and propagation of pure spin current. (1) Spin drift-diffusion equation, (2) Hanle-type spin precession, (3) spin pumping using magnetization dynamics, and (4) spin current circuit theory are discussed. Recent topics in spintronics,2-3times,Topological insulators and the Berry phase are important topics in modern spintronics. To understand the essence of them, I show the derivation of the Kubo formula, and the calculation of the Hall conductivity based on the Kubo theory. The above mentioned topics are the main contents of this lecture, but I may add or omit some topics as requests from students. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | Report submission | |||
| Course Requirements | Solid State Physics and Quantum Physics at the level of undergraduate school. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | None | ||
| References, etc. | For foreign students, I recommend the following review articles: 1. Spin Hall effect, J. Sinova et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 87, 1213 (2015). 2. Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications, I. Zutic et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 76, 1 (2004). 3. Nonlocal magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic heterostructures, Y. Tserkovnyak et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 77, 1375 (2005). | |||
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