Subtopic BMDO/02-214B: GaN-based Spin Transistor

WaveBand proposes to demonstrate a GaN-based spin transistor that will operate at room temperature. This breakthrough will be made possible by forming a built-in strong electric field perpendicular to the two-dimensional (2D) channel containingspin-polarized carriers, taking advantage of the ferromagnetic features of a Mn- and Fe-doped GaN semiconductor, and using nanotechnology for transistor channel fabrication.The spin transistor will serve as a magnetic field sensor that employs the direct influence of the electron spin state on the transport in the channel between two magnetic contacts. Major applications of spin transistors will include miniature magnetic sensors for memory read-out elements, massive data storage devices, automotive electronic distributors, and biomedical instrumentation. Also, this type of device is responsive to BMDOneeds in single electron transistors and other nano-scaled electronic devices. Successful manipulation of spins in quantum wells and quantum dots opens the prospect of using magnetic nanostructures as quantum logic gates in the emerging quantum computers.The proposed devices take advantage of the unusual electronic properties of gallium nitride; they are compatible with GaN electronics and with the cost-effective Si-based electronics. Accordingly, their commercialization potential is very high.