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Spin Transport in Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene: Experiments and Theory

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Handbook of Spintronics

Abstract

Carbon Nanotubes and graphene are attractive for spintronics as a long spin lifetime can be expected from the small spin-orbit interaction in carbon and the absence of nuclear spins for the main isotope. A second interest comes from their sensitivity to proximity effects that can be used to introduce local magnetic or spin-orbit interactions for the manipulation of spin currents. In this review, written in 2012 and updated in 2015, we have mainly discussed the problems of spin lifetime and spin diffusion length rather than those of magnetism and spin-orbit more recently investigated. For graphene the experimental spin lifetimes and spin diffusion lengths can be relatively long (typically above 1 ns and 10 μm) if the conduction channel is protected from external influences and separated from the electrodes by large contact resistances.

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Abbreviations

AP:

Antiparallel

BLG:

Bilayer graphene

BN:

Boron nitride

CMOS:

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor

CNT:

Carbon nanotube

CVD:

Chemical vapor deposition

DP:

Dyakonov-Perel

EG:

Epitaxial graphene

EY:

Elliot-Yafet

FLG:

Few-layer graphene

GMR:

GIANT magnetoresistance

ITRS:

international technology roadmap for semiconductors

LSMO:

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3

LSV:

Lateral spin valve

MLEG:

Multilayer epitaxial graphene

MLG:

Multilayer graphene

MR:

Magnetoresistance

MWCNT:

Multiwall carbon nanotube

NP:

Neutrality point

P:

Parallel

RT:

Room temperature

SO:

Spin-orbite

SWNT:

Singlewall nanotube

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 1 avenue Augustin Fresnel, 91767, Palaiseau, France

    A. Anane, B. Dlubak, H. Jaffres, M-B. Martin, P. Seneor & Albert Fert

  2. Université Paris Sud, 91405, Orsay, France

    A. Anane, B. Dlubak, H. Jaffres, M-B. Martin, P. Seneor & Albert Fert

  3. Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN, 351-0198, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Japan

    Hiroshi Idzuchi & Y. Otani

  4. Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 277-8581, Kashiwa, Japan

    Y. Otani

Authors
  1. A. Anane
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  2. B. Dlubak
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  3. Hiroshi Idzuchi
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  4. H. Jaffres
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  5. M-B. Martin
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  6. Y. Otani
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  7. P. Seneor
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  8. Albert Fert
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Albert Fert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. York-Nanjing International Center of Spintronics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Yongbing Xu

  2. Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    David D. Awschalom

  3. Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Junsaku Nitta

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Anane, A. et al. (2016). Spin Transport in Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene: Experiments and Theory. In: Xu, Y., Awschalom, D., Nitta, J. (eds) Handbook of Spintronics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6892-5_27

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