Spin lifetime in strained silicon films

Abstract

The outstanding increase in performance of integrated circuits is facilitated and supported by the continuous miniaturization of CMOS components; however, growing technological challenges [1] and soaring costs are gradually expected to bring scaling to an end. This puts foreseeable limitations to the future performance increase, and research on alternative technologies and computational principles becomes paramount. The MOSFET, the main building block of modern integrated circuits, fundamentally operates by employing the charge degree of freedom of an electron. The electron charge interacts with the electrostatic field induced by the gate. The transistor channel can be closed or opened by creating or removing a gate induced potential barrier. Another intrinsic electron property, the electron spin, attracts much attention as a possible candidate for complimenting or even replacing the charge in future electron devices. The electron spin state is characterized by the two possible spin projections on a given axis and thus has potential in digital information processing. In addition, the small amount of energy needed to invert the spin orientation is attractive for low power applications.