Interplay of Peltier and Seebeck effects in nanoscale nonlocal spin valves

F. L. Bakker, A. Slachter, J. -P. Adam, B. J. van Wees

Published 2010-04-01Version 1

We have experimentally studied the role of thermoelectric effects in nanoscale nonlocal spin valve devices. A finite element thermoelectric model is developed to calculate the generated Seebeck voltages due to Peltier and Joule heating in the devices. By measuring the first, second and third harmonic voltage response non locally, the model is experimentally examined. The results indicate that the combination of Peltier and Seebeck effects contributes significantly to the nonlocal baseline resistance. Moreover, we found that the second and third harmonic response signals can be attributed to Joule heating and temperature dependencies of both Seebeck coefficient and resistivity.