Karl Franzens University Graz | Graz University of Technology | |
The role of oxygen and oxides in spinterfaces: the case of C60 fullerene on Fe(001) Spintronics is a research field devoted to understanding and governing the injection, manipulation and detection of the electron spin in solid materials, namely ferromagnetic metals and inorganic semiconductors. Even if the field is relatively young, it already provided several concepts and devices currently used in technological applications. More recently, several experimental and theoretical investigations suggested that organic materials can achieve comparable, or even enhanced, performances in spin-based devices with respect to conventional materials, and that they can also provide new concepts, leading to the new field of Organic Spintronics. The key role in such systems is played by “spinterfaces”, i.e. interfaces between ferromagnetic materials, that are sources of spin-polarized electrons, and organic layers, which are characterized, in particular, by long lifetimes for spin-polarized electrons. A detailed control over the interface characteristics is therefore of paramount importance to define and, eventually, to tailor physical systems with improved capabilities. |