Spin gating electrical current

Abstract

The level of the chemical potential is a fundamental parameter of the electronic structure of a physical system, which consequently plays an important role in defining the properties of active electrical devices. We directly measure the chemical potential shift in the relativistic band structure of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As, controlled by changes in its magnetic order parameter. Our device comprises a non-magnetic aluminum single electron channel capacitively coupled to the (Ga,Mn)As gate electrode. The chemical potential shifts of the gate are directly read out from the shifts in the Coulomb blockade oscillations of the single electron transistor. The experiments introduce a concept of spin gating electrical current. In our spin transistor spin manipulation is completely removed from the electrical current carrying channel. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.