Half-metal
A half-metal is any substance that acts as a conductor to electrons of one spin orientation, but as an insulator to those of the opposite orientation.
Conduction in magnetic materials is due to two types of electron, i.e., electrons with spin up and electrons with spin down [1].
In half-metals, the valence band related to one type of these electrons is fully filled and the other is partially filled. So only one type of electrons (either spin up or spin down) can pass through it.
A schematic diagram of the band structure of a half-metal is shown below. File:Half metar sattar.JPG
Some notable half-metals are chromium(IV) oxide and Perovskite lanthanum strontium manganite (LSMO); as well as chromium arsenide and Heusler alloys. These materials are useful in the field of spintronics for producing nearly 100% spin-polarised currents.
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- Nature 444, xiii - xiii (16 Nov 2006)
- http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~ah566/research/half_metals.html
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- ↑ A. Fert and I.A Campbell, Phys. Rev. Lett. 21, 1190 (1968)
