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The notion of a spin field effect transistor, where transistor action is realized by manipulating the spin degree of freedom of charge carriers instead of the charge degree of freedom, has captivated researchers for at least three decades. These transistors are usually implemented by modulating the spin orbit interaction in a two- or one-dimensional semiconductor structure with an electrostatic potential, which then causes controlled spin precession in the transistor's channel that modulates the current flowing between two ferromagnetic (spin-polarized) source and drain contacts. Here, we introduce a new concept for a spin field effect transistor whose channel is made of a strained topological insulator (strained-topological-insulator-field-effect-transistor or STI-SPINFET), which does not exploit spin-orbit interaction. Instead, the transistor function is elicited by straining the topological insulator (TI) with a gate voltage which modifies the energy dispersion relation, or the Dirac velocity, to vary the interference between the two spin eigenstates on the surface of the TI. This modulates the current flowing between two ferromagnetic source and drain contacts. The conductance on/off ratio of this transistor is too poor to be useful as a switch, but it may have other uses, such as an extremely energy-efficient stand-alone frequency multiplier.
Comment: Some additions and clarifications have been added in the appendix corresponding to the ideal topological insulator |
