Electronic spin storage in an electrically readable nuclear spin memory with a lifetime >100 seconds.

Area of Science:

• Spintronics
• Quantum Information Science
• Solid-State Physics

Background:

• Electron spins are crucial for spintronics due to their mobility and manipulability.
• Short electron spin lifetimes pose a significant challenge for long-term spin information storage.
• Developing robust spin memory is essential for advancing spintronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel nuclear spin memory system for spintronics.
• To overcome the limitations of short electron spin lifetimes.
• To enable electrical readout of stored spin information.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an ensemble nuclear spin memory based on phosphorous-doped silicon.
• Mapped electronic spin information onto the nuclear spin of phosphorus donors.
• Employed electrical readout techniques to access stored spin information.

Main Results:

• Achieved a nuclear spin memory with a lifetime exceeding 100 seconds.
• Demonstrated that stored spin information persists longer than the electron spin lifetime.
• Successfully read out spin information electrically from the nuclear spin ensemble.

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated nuclear spin memory offers a viable solution for long-term spin information storage in silicon.
• This memory system can be integrated with other silicon spintronic devices.
• The findings pave the way for advanced spintronic applications requiring stable spin memory.