Spin diode and spin valve based on an interacting quantum dot coupled with nonmagnetic electrodes

Abstract

Abstract How to control the charge and spin in nanodevices is an important topic in spintronics. In this letter, we theoretically propose a spin diode and spin valve (SV) device controlled by all-electrical means, which is composed of a quantum dot (QD) coupled to a pair of nonmagnetic electrodes. When both electric charge bias and spin bias exist within the device, the I–V curves of this device exhibit an asymmetric distribution, and this asymmetry can be manipulated by the gate voltage. More interestingly, if we apply an external magnetic field on the QD, we can observe significant high- and low-resistance state switching with respect to the magnetic field, which can function as a SV device. This device scheme can be compatible with current technologies and has potential applications in spintronics or quantum processing.