Abstract
Scanning tunneling microscopy experiments reveal that the degree of spin polarization of electrons tunneling from Ni into a semiconductor increases with decreasing potential barrier thickness. The results show that the highly polarized bands as well as the low-polarized bands contribute to the tunneling current and that the ratio of their tunneling probabilities depends on the potential barrier thickness and height. Furthermore, the tunneling potential barrier for the -like levels is estimated to be 1 eV higher than for the contribution.
- Received 8 March 1995
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.513
©1995 American Physical Society