ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the factors relevant to spin injection and transport in semiconductors, review the necessary concepts, and illustrates the by way of examples, to provide both a practical guide and an overview of the current state of the art. It focuses on electrical injection and detection of spin accumulation using multiterminal lateral transport geometries in silicon, where an operation well room temperature. The realization of efficient electrical injection and significant spin polarization using a simple tunnel barrier compatible with “back-end” semiconductor processing should greatly facilitate progress in the development of semiconductor spintronic devices. Semiconductor nanowires provide an avenue to further reduce the ever-shrinking dimensions of transistors. A discrete electrical contact to create, manipulate, and detect spin currents and populations in a semiconductor host enables the development of a much broader range of technologies than that allowed by optical excitation alone.
