Patents by Inventor Laurens Molenkamp

Laurens Molenkamp has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Semiconductor element having a semi-magnetic contact
    Patent number: 6963096
    Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetoresistive semiconductor element, including a first contact and a second contact, and also a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor arranged between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact is composed of a semi-magnetic material. The semi-magnetic material is a strongly paramagnetic material whose electron spins have no preferential direction without an action of an external magnetic field. Under the action of an external magnetic field, the electrons are spin-polarized in the first contact. When a voltage is applied this results in the injection of spin-polarized electrons into the nonmagnetic semiconductor. As a result, in the nonmagnetic semiconductor, only one of the spin channels can be used for transporting the charge carriers, so that a positive magnetoresistive effect is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Georg Schmidt, Laurens Molenkamp
  • Semiconductor element having a semi-magnetic contact
    Publication number: 20040113188
    Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetoresistive semiconductor element, including a first contact and a second contact, and also a layer of a nonmagnetic semiconductor arranged between the first contact and the second contact. The first contact is composed of a semi-magnetic material. The semi-magnetic material is a strongly paramagnetic material whose electron spins have no preferential direction without an action of an external magnetic field. Under the action of an external magnetic field, the electrons are spin-polarized in the first contact. When a voltage is applied this results in the injection of spin-polarized electrons into the nonmagnetic semiconductor. As a result, in the nonmagnetic semiconductor, only one of the spin channels can be used for transporting the charge carriers, so that a positive magnetoresistive effect is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Georg Schmidt, Laurens Molenkamp