Magnetic properties of ultrathin cobalt films grown on Ge(111) and Si(111) substrates

Injection of spin polarized electrons from a metal into a semiconductor is demonstrated for a GaAs/(In,Ga)As light emitting diode covered with Fe. The circular polarization degree of the observed electroluminescence reveals a spin injection efficiency of 2%. The underlying injection mechanism is explained in terms of a tunneling process.

Since the time of Bardeen, Fermi level pinning at metal-semiconductor interfaces has traditionally been attributed to interface gap states. The present work shows that polarized chemical bonds at metal-semiconductor interfaces can lead to the apparent Fermi level pinning effect. Good agreement with various systematics of polycrystalline Schottky barrier height experiments has been found. These findings suggest that chemical bonding is a primary mechanism of the Schottky barrier height.