Spin Electronics: From Concentrated to Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors and Beyond

This presentation will review physical properties, relevant to spintronics, of concentrated magnetic semiconductors. Examples from the open literature and current research utilizing thin film EuS will be used as illustrations. New research on potential spin injection materials and spin detection will also be described. This latter work, carried out at MARTECH, the Center for Materials Research and Technology, demonstrates that carriers from the half-metal CrO2 may be injected across an insulator without loss of (∼100%) spin polarization. It also features the development of a Hall gradiometer capable of detecting as few as 105 spins.