The spin-valve transistor: Fabrication, characterization, and physics (invited)

An overview is given of the fabrication, basic properties, and physics of the spin-valve transistor. We describe the layout of this three-terminal ferromagnet/semiconductor hybrid device, as well as the operating principle. Fabrication technologies are discussed, including vacuum metal bonding. We characterize properties of the device relevant for possible applications in magneto-electronics, such as relative magnetic response, output current, and noise behavior. Furthermore, we illustrate the unique possibilities of the spin-valve transistor for fundamental studies of the physics of hot-electron spin transport in magnetic thin film structures.

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