Spin injection, detection and magnetoresistive effects in organic systems

Abstract

Because of the weak spin-orbit interaction in organic systems, very long spin lifetimes are intuitively expected. The prospect of cheap and flexible spintronics devices makes organic semiconductors an attractive class of material systems for investigation. Although organic based spin-valve devices have been widely studied, organic spintronics is still in its infancy. Some fundamental questions, for example the relation between spin injection and magnetoresistance, the exact spin lifetime and carrier mobility in spin-valve devices and the details of the spin relaxation mechanisms, are not well-understood. In this thesis, we investigate the injection of spin-polarized current into organic thin films, prepared following various recipes and relate the possible transport mechanisms with the observed Magnetoresistance (MR) in organic-based spin-valves devices.