Аннотация:In 1999 the superconducting spin-valve was proposed theoretically, comprising a superconducting (S) spacer layer separating two ferromagnetic (F) layers. For ideal operation, the in-plane supercurrent in the S layer can be controlled by the mutual orientation of magnetization in the F layers. Initially the spin-valve effect was observed as a dependence of the critical temperature (Tc) on the magnetic configuration, parallel (P) or antiparallel (AP) in such structures. However, the Tc change between collinear and perpendicular configuration may be much more pronounced than between P and AP alignment in a case of a strongly spin-polarized ferromagnet due to appearance of the new channel for drainage of Cooper pairs from the S to the F layers related to appearance of the long-range triplet superconducting correlations (LRTC).
We have developed and compared different models for the description of the proximity effect between a usual superconductor and a strong ferromagnet. Such spin-valves may serve as building blocks of spintronic devices and our investigation provide a mechanism by which such devices might be realized.