What Type of Barrier and Field Strength is Needed for Spin Polarized Tunneling?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the requirements for conducting spin polarized tunneling experiments, specifically focusing on the type of barrier and the strength of the magnetic field needed. The scope includes practical applications and experimental setups in electronics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Experimental/applied, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant requests a circuit diagram and information on the type and size of barriers needed for spin polarized tunneling experiments.
  • Another participant clarifies that the setup involves a stack of materials rather than a traditional circuit, emphasizing the complexity and specialized equipment required for such experiments.
  • A different participant claims to have set up a basic test circuit and gathered various barriers, suggesting that expensive lab equipment is not necessary for preliminary experiments.
  • It is noted that the required strength of the magnetic field varies by material, with some suggesting that strong permanent magnets may suffice, especially at cryogenic temperatures.
  • There is a suggestion that expensive equipment is only necessary for observing the effects of the experiment, which may not be the primary goal for all participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the necessity of expensive equipment and the feasibility of conducting experiments outside of a professional lab setting. There is no consensus on the specific requirements for barriers and field strength.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the dependence on material properties and environmental conditions, such as temperature, which may influence the effectiveness of the proposed setups. Specific assumptions about the materials and their behavior under different conditions remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in experimental physics, electronics, and materials science, particularly those exploring spintronics and related applications.

forex10
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Hello,
With regards to a Youtube video- Spin polarized tunneling - video #10: , could some one familiar with electronics provide a circuit or diagram for this to work? Also what type & size of barrier could be used?

This should be fairly easy for anyone familiar with electronics, so any help would be appreciated.

Joel
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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It is not a "circuit" as such. The main device is a "stack" of different materials, probably a few tens of square microns in size, each layer in the stack will be of the order of a few nanometers thick.
The actual measurement is then done by measuring the current through the stack as a function of the applied magnetic field.

Devices like this are made in clean rooms (at universities etc) using a wide variety of (very expensive) equipment for cleaning, deposition, etching etc. It is absolutely impossible to make something like this as home.
 
I have already set up a basic test circuit. I have also collected barriers of different type & size to use. I do not need an expensive science lab to carry out this experiment. I just need to figure out the best way to apply an external magnetic field to achieve the spin polarization change.
 
How strong the field needs to be depends on the material, in some cases a strong permanent magnet should be enough (the strength needed also depends on the temperature, many of these materials only work when cooled to cryogenic temperatures). There are plenty of webshops that sell strong rare-earth magnets.

Also, you are somewhat right. You do not need expensive equipment to try the experiment. Expensive equipment is only needed if you want to actually see the effect (which is usually the point of an experiment, but maybe not in this case).
 

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