Conventional electronic devices exploit the property of electron charge. Yet, recent efforts seek to utilize the electron spin as well, promising unique device functionality. Toward this aim, this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at Ohio University will investigate spin-dependent mesoscopic transport in high-mobility semiconductor heterostructures. The spin-orbit interaction leads to energy splitting in the bandstructure of carriers confined to a quantum well, which in turn results in two populated spin sub-bands, each featuring individual carrier dynamics. The dynamics can be probed directly by utilizing ballistic magnetotransport in mesoscopic structures, where the spin subbands each yield separate ballistic orbits. The ballistic orbital effects will be exploited as a unique probe to study spin phase coherence, mesoscopic spin transport, and spin-orbit coupling in quantum wells. Besides investigating these fundamental aspects, the work aims to apply the orbital effects to realize spin transistor structures. The semiconductor fabrication knowledge present in this work forms fertile ground for a cooperative education program that will be established with students of nearby two-year technical colleges. These students will be presented with the opportunity to acquire skills the region presently does not offer, improving their participation in a high-technology area. %%% Conventional transistors exploit the property of electron charge to encode information. Yet, the electron also possesses the quantum mechanical property of spin, and research has been initiated to utilize the electron spin as well, in the quest for superior electronic devices. Toward this aim, this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project at Ohio University will investigate spin phenomena in thin semiconductor layers, where the spin modifies the electron's motion, offering the exciting possibility of spin-controlled transistors. The project will study the mechanisms and magnitude of the spin's motional effect in different semiconductors, and new spin-controlled transistors will be fabricated and tested. To use the electron motion directly, avoiding electron scattering mechanisms, the semiconductor devices planned in this project have to be very small, and such nanoscale devices fit naturally in the ongoing electronic miniaturization trend. The advanced semiconductor fabrication knowledge present in this work forms fertile ground for a cooperative education program that will be established with students of nearby two-year technical colleges. These students will be presented with the opportunity to acquire skills the region presently does not offer, improving their participation in the growing high-technology area of nanoscale electronic devices. ***
