Optimization of semimagnetic semiconductor-based nanostructures for spintronic applications

We have analyzed the spin-filtering effects of the electron current in asymmetric ZnSe/Zn1-xMnxSe multilayer structures, under the influence of both an external magnetic field and a bias voltage. In this type of semiconductor systems, conduction band electrons interact with 3d electrons of the magnetic Mn2+ ions. Because of this sp-d exchange interaction, an external magnetic field modulates the effective potential profile seen by spin-up and spin-down electrons, giving rise to a large Zeeman effect. It is found that the degree of spin polarization changes significantly when the electrical bias is switched from forward to reverse, thus the proposed structure displays obvious behavior of spin-filter diode. This originates from the effective "lifting" of the potential for spin-up electrons, which tunnel through actual potential barriers. Structural parameters optimization, with the goal of maximizing the spin-filtering coefficient, was performed by using simulated annealing algorithm. The described effect may be important for designing new tunable spin-based multifunctional semiconductor devices.