ABSTRACT

238The spin-dependent transport in hybrid nanostructures is currently of great interest, particularly in the emergence of new phenomena as well as the potential applications to spintronic devices [1–6]. Recent experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that the spin-polarized carriers injected from a ferromagnet (F) into a nonmagnetic material (N), such as a normal conducting metal, semiconductor, and superconductor, create nonequilibrium spin accumulation and spin current over the spin diffusion length in the range from nanometers to micrometers. Efficient spin injection and detection and creation of large spin current, spin accumulation, and spin transfer are key factors in utilizing the spin degrees of freedom of carriers as a new functionality in spintronic devices [7, 8].