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Half-Metallicity And Efficient Spin Injection In Aln/Gan:Cr (0001) Heterostructure, Julia E. Medvedeva, X. Y. Cui, C. Stampfl, N. Newman, Arthur J. Freeman

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

First-principles investigations of the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Cr-doped AlN/GaN (0001) heterostructures reveal the possibility of efficient spin injection from a ferromagnetic GaN:Cr electrode through an AlN tunnel barrier. We demonstrate that Cr atoms segregate into the GaN region and that these interfaces retain their half-metallic behavior leading to a complete, i.e., 100%, spin polarization of the conduction electrons. This property makes the wide band-gap nitrides doped with Cr to be excellent candidates for high-efficiency magnetoelectronic devices.