Fabrication and Evaluation of SpinFET for Spintronics Applications

Objective

"""Fabrication and Evaluation of SpinFET for Spintronics Applications” (FESSA) is a project that aims to demonstrate a miniaturized, low-power, and contact resistance engineered spin Field Effect Transistor (spin-FET) with a channel formed from a topological insulator (TI) rather than a conventional semiconductor material. Besides the opportunity for original results in materials science device physics, and it provides an innovative approach suitable for integrating into spintronic-CMOS hybrid circuits that address the need for low loss electronics to mitigate climate change. FESSA will use an interdisciplinary approach with multi-physics concepts to achieve a compact design with potential performance suitable for instrumentation systems for low noise, highly sensitive, rf/microwave, and mixed signal measurements/detection. The spin-transistor action will be achieved using gating effects to modify the spin transport properties of the TI channel between ferromagnetic (FM) source and drain contacts. FESSA will be achieved using high quality films deposited using the multi-chamber Royce deposition system (one of its kind) for efficient interface engineering, achieving low impedance mismatch at a TI/FM interface with high spin transparency. The fabrication of spin-FET will be achieved using Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom facility of ISO 5 (class 100) containing a range of state-of-the-art equipment to suit micro and nano-fabrication. Spin-FET action will depend critically on the TI/FM interfaces, and will be optimised electrical characterization with various geometries using the phenomenon of spin Hall effect and its inverse (STFMR, SHE, ISHE, non-local & AC/DC measurements, and GHz probe station measurement system). FESSA will have widespread implications in the field of high-speed operation capabilities and in the development of new hardware-based quantum and microwave devices with advanced device properties."