Defect-Enabled Room-Temperature Spin Functionalities in Ga(In)NAs Nanostructures

We will conduct in-depth experimental studies of the unconventional defect-enabled spin functionalities in semiconductor nanostructures based on Ga(In)NAs, promising for efficient spin filtering, spin amplification and spin detection at room temperature.

We aim: (i) to understand and tailor key physical and material properties that are important for the defect-enabled spin functionalities (year 1-3); (ii) to develop fundamental building blocks for spintronics/spin-photonics such as spin injectors, spin amplifiers and spin detectors (year 2-4); (iii) to explore prototype spintronic/spin-photonic devices such as spin-LEDs, spin lasers and spin transistors (year 3-4).

The proposed optical, magneto-optical and spin-resonance spectroscopic studies and modelling will be carried out in our group, and materials and prototype device structures will be prepared by modern epitaxial and processing techniques in collaboration with our scientific partners worldwide.

If successful this project could potentially lead to breakthroughs in finding viable solutions to efficient room-temperature spin generation, amplification and spin-detection based on the mature GaAs technology platform widely used today.

This would overcome the major obstacles in spintronics/spin-photonics that have for many years hindered the progress of the research field, thereby paving the way for practical applications of semiconductor spintronics/spin-photonics.