ABSTRACT
The main focus of this chapter is recent experimental developments of nonlocal spin injection in metallic systems and the related phenomena after the year 2000. Recent related theoretical work is discussed in Chapter 7, Volume 3, while 302the early developments of spin injection in metals are discussed in Chapter 5, Volume 1. The pioneering work on spin injection in metals was established in 1985 by Johnson and Silsbee [1, 2]. Their measurements were performed in pure “bulk wire” of aluminum with permalloy leads used for injection and detection up to ~50 K and yielded ~pV signals. By revisiting these ideas in micro-fabricated lateral ferromagnet/nonmagnet/ferromagnet (F/N/F) structures Jedema et al. [3, 4] demonstrated room temperature spin injection and detection with much larger signals. All of these experiments have spurred very intensive research efforts to investigate diffusive spin transport in lateral devices with important implications for the emerging field of spintronics [5].
