Significant change of spin transport property in Cu/Nb bilayer due to superconducting transition

Abstract

The combination between the spin-dependent and super-conducting (SC) transports is expected to provide intriguing properties such as crossed Andreev reflection and spin-triplet superconductivity. This may be able to open a new avenue in the field of spintronics, namely superconducting spintronics because a superconductor itself has great potential for future nanoelectronic applications. To observe such SC spin transports, the suppression of the extrinsic effects originating from the heating and Oersted field due to the electric current is a crucial role. Pure spin current without accompanying the charge current is known as a powerful mean for preventing such extrinsic effects. However, non-negligible heat flow is found to exist even in a conventional pure spin current device based on laterally-configured spin valve because of the heating around the spin injector. Here, we develop a nanopillar-based lateral spin valve, which significantly reduces the heat generation, on a superconducting Nb film. By using this ideal platform, we found that the spin absorption is strongly suppressed by the SC transition of Nb. This demonstration is the clear evidence that the super-conducting Nb is an insulator for the pure spin current.