Patent ID: 7315041
Filing Date: 2008-01-01
Classification: H01F,H01L

Abstract:
1. A switching device that can vary a spin-polarized current based on an input signal, the switching device comprising: a type region that has holes with spin in a minority spin direction, but does not have any holes with spin in a direction that is opposite to the minority spin direction; an n-type region; and a half-metal region interposed between the p-type region and the n-type region, wherein at the half-metal region's intrinsic Fermi level, the half-metal region has substantially zero available electronic states in a minority spin channel; wherein changing a voltage of the half-metal region with respect to the p-type region moves the half-metal region's Fermi level with respect to the p-type region's electron energy bands, which changes the number of available electronic states at the half-metal region's Fermi level in a majority spin channel, and in doing so, changes a majority-spin polarized current passing through the switching device.