Talking to a single spin with the language of nanoelectronics

Henri Mariette Equipe Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs CEA-CNRS-Universit Joseph Fourier, Grenoble

_______

The emerging area of nano-spintronics focuses on developing the means of exploiting spin properties at the nanoscale, with a single electron spin, single magnetic ion spin, and polarization of a single photon as ultimate limits. Such works are quite developed in few labs in Grenoble. I will review the recent results on nano-spintronics with gated and self-assembled quantum dots carried out in the Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs group. The control of the interaction between individual spin polarized carriers and isolated magnetic atoms is of fundamental interest to understand the ultimate limit mechanisms involved in spin transfer in magnetic materials. Spin transfer could lead to the development of semiconductor spintronic devices in which the spin state of magnetic atoms is controlled by the injection of spin polarized carriers and not by an external magnetic field like in conventional magnetic memories. We will show that, by using quantum dots doped with single Mn atoms, the control of a single atomic spin in a solid state environment is possible [1,2]: in particular the magnetic state of the Mn atom can be changed by the injection of a single charge carrier into the dot [3]. These experiments open the way to develop single spin memories.

[1] L. Besombes, et al, PRL. 93, 207403 (2004) [2] Y. Lger et al. PRL. 95, 047403 (2005) [3] Y. Lger et al. ,. PRL. 97, 107401(2006)