Spin-polarized current amplification and spin injection in magnetic bipolar transistors

The magnetic bipolar transistor (MBT) is a bipolar junction transistor with an equilibrium and nonequilibrium spin (magnetization) in the emitter, base, or collector. The low-injection theory of spin-polarized transport through MBT’s and of a more general case of an array of magnetic p-n junctions is developed and illustrated on several important cases. Two main physical phenomena are discussed: electrical spin injection and spin control of current amplification (magnetoamplification). It is shown that a source spin can be injected from the emitter to the collector. If the base of a MBT has an equilibrium magnetization, the spin can be injected from the base to the collector by intrinsic spin injection. The resulting spin accumulation in the collector is proportional to exp(qV_be /k_BT), where q is the proton charge, V_be is the bias in the emitter-base junction, and k_BT is the thermal energy. To control the electrical current through MBT’s both the equilibrium and the nonequilibrium spin can be employed. The equilibrium spin controls the magnitude of the equilibrium electron and hole densities, thereby controlling the currents. Increasing the equilibrium spin polarization of the base (emitter) increases (decreases) the current amplification. If there is a nonequilibrium spin in the emitter, and the base or the emitter has an equilibrium spin, a spin-valve effect can lead to a giant magnetoamplification effect, where the current amplifications for the parallel and antiparallel orientations of the equilibrium and nonequilibrium spins differ significantly. The theory is elucidated using qualitative analyses and is illustrated on a MBT example with generic materials parameters.