Semiconductor element having a semi-magnetic contact
First Claim
1. A magnetoresistive semiconductor element, comprising:
- a first contact made of a semi-magnetic material;
a second contact;
a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor configured between said first contact and said second contact; and
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said layer of said nonmagnetic semiconductor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a magnetoresistive semiconductor element, including a first contact and a second contact, and also a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor arranged between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact is composed of a semi-magnetic material. The semi-magnetic material is a strongly paramagnetic material whose electron spins have no preferential direction without an action of an external magnetic field. Under the action of an external magnetic field, the electrons are spin-polarized in the first contact. When a voltage is applied this results in the injection of spin-polarized electrons into the nonmagnetic semiconductor. As a result, in the nonmagnetic semiconductor, only one of the spin channels can be used for transporting the charge carriers, so that a positive magnetoresistive effect is obtained.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A magnetoresistive semiconductor element, comprising:
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a first contact made of a semi-magnetic material;
a second contact;
a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor configured between said first contact and said second contact; and
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said layer of said nonmagnetic semiconductor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A storage element, comprising:
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a magnetoresistive semiconductor element, containing;
a first contact made of a semi-magnetic material;
a second contact;
a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor configured between said first contact and said second contact; and
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said layer of said nonmagnetic semiconductor; and
a ferromagnetic element configured adjacent said first contact. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A field effect transistor, comprising:
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a source electrode;
a drain electrode;
a gate electrode;
at least one first contact of a semi-magnetic material for injecting spin-polarized charge carriers into said source electrode and/or for extracting spin-polarized charge carriers from said drain electrode;
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said source electrode; and
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said drain electrode.
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15. A bipolar transistor, comprising:
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a section acting as an emitter;
a section acting as a collector;
a region configured between said emitter and said collector and acting as a base;
at least one first contact for injecting spin-polarized charge carriers into said emitter and/or for extracting spin-polarized charge carriers from said collector;
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said emitter; and
a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said collector.
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16. A magnetic sensor, comprising:
- a magnetoresistive semiconductor element including;
a firstcontact made of a semi-magnetic material, a second contact, a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor configured between said first contact and said second contact, and a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said layer of said nonmagnetic semiconductor;
a plurality of electric feed and discharge lines, each one of said plurality of electric feed and discharge lines connected to a respective one of said first contact and said second contact; and
a measuring device connected to said plurality of electric feed and discharge lines for measuring a change in electrical resistance.
- a magnetoresistive semiconductor element including;
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17. A read head for reading information stored in magnetic storage media, comprising:
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a magnetoresistive semiconductor element including;
a first contact made of a semi-magnetic material, a second contact, a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor configured between said first contact and said second contact, and a tunnel barrier configured between said first contact and said layer of said nonmagnetic semiconductor;
a plurality of electric feed and discharge lines, each one of said plurality of electric feed and discharge lines connected to a respective one of said first contact and said second contact; and
a measuring device connected to said plurality of electric feed and discharge lines for measuring a change in electrical resistance.
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Specification