Spin-injection devices on silicon material for conventional BiCMOS technology

US6963091B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Vladislav Vashchenko · Palo Alto, US
• Michael Mian · Livermore, US
• Peter J. Hopper · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 22, 2003
• Grant date: Nov 8, 2005
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D84/401

Abstract

Spin-based microelectronic devices can be realized by utilizing ferromagnetic structures that make good ohmic contact with silicon, in order to avoid the Schottky barrier problem plaguing existing approaches to spin-based microelectronics, while allowing the devices to be based on silicon substrates, which are well-known and used in the industry. Thin layers of metal silicide, such as CoSi2 and NiSi2, are used as an intermediate layer between ferromagnetic contacts, such as cobalt and nickel contacts, and the silicon substrate. The thin silicide layers provide good ohmic contact between the ferromagnetic contacts and silicon, such that spin-polarized carriers can be injected into the silicon, and detected out of the silicon, without loss of spin polarization.