Measuring Spin Dependent Hot Electron Transport in Fe/Si(001) Schottky Diodes

Devices that utilize the spin degree of freedom rely on transport of electron spin through materials and material interfaces.~ Further\textbf{ }knowledge of spin-polarized electron transport can aid in the development of spintronic devices.~ To this end, we developed a novel technique; spin polarized ballistic electron emission microscopy (SP-BEEM). This technique has been utilized to study the spin dependent transport properties in Fe/Si(001) Schottky diodes.~ The energetic dependence of the spin dependent attenuation lengths was measured.~ Most interestingly, it was found that the interface band structure played a prominent role in this dependence.~~