Thermal creation of a spin current by Seebeck spin tunneling
The thermoelectric analog of spin-polarized tunneling, namely Seebeck spin tunneling, is a recently discovered phenomenon that arises from the spin-dependent Seebeck coefficient of a magnetic tunnel contact. In a tunnel junction with one ferromagnetic electrode and one non-magnetic electrode, a temperature difference between the two electrodes creates a spin current across the contact. Here, the basic principle and the observation of Seebeck spin tunneling are described. It is shown how it can be used to create a spin accumulation in silicon driven by a heat flow across a magnetic tunnel contact, without a charge tunnel current. The sign of the spin current depends on the direction of the heat flow, whereas its magnitude is anisotropic, i.e., dependent on the absolute orientation of the magnetization of the ferromagnet. The connection between Seebeck spin tunneling and the tunnel magneto-Seebeck effect, observed in metal magnetic tunnel junctions, is also clarified. Seebeck spin tunneling may be used to convert waste heat into useful thermal spin currents that aid or replace electrical spin current, and thereby improve the energy efficiency of spintronic devices and technologies. © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.