Electrically controlled spin reversal and spin polarization of electronic transport in nanoporous graphene nanoribbons

Abstract

Based on first-principles calculations, the spin-dependent electronic transport of nanoporous graphene nanoribbons is investigated. A three-terminal configuration is proposed, which can electronically control the spin polarization of transmission, instead of magnetic methods. By modulating the gate voltage, not only could the transmission be switched between completely spin up and spin down polarized states to realize a dual-spin filter, but also the spin polarization could be finely tuned between 100% and −100%. Any ratio of spin up to spin down transport electrons can be realized, providing more possibilities for the design of nanoelectronic devices. Further analysis shows that the transmission spectra, with two distinct transmission peaks with opposite spins around E_F, are the key point, which are contributed by p orbitals. And such a phenomenon is robust to the width and length of the nanoporous graphene nanoribbons, suggesting that it is an intrinsic feature of these systems. The electrical control on spin polarization is realized in pure-carbon systems, showing great application potential.