The electronic structure of spintronic materials as seen by spin-polarized angle-resolved photoemission

Highlights: •Introduction of spin-dependent effects in modern angle-resolved photoemission from the point of view of potential applications in spintronics. •Review on modern spin-polarimeters, including the historical development of the field. •Several examples to illustrate the application of spin-polarized photoemission to ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic sample systems. -- Abstract: The key quantity in spintronic devices is the spin polarization of the current flowing through the various device components, which in turn is closely determined by the components' electronic structure. Modern spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (spin-ARPES) can map the details of the spin-polarized electronic structure in many novel material systems – both magnetic and nonmagnetic. In order to separate close-lying electronic states, however, an improvement in energy and angular resolution as well as information depth is still mandatory. We review several types of modern photoemission spectrometers capable of spin analysis and discuss the application of the technique for several physical systems including ferromagnetic thin films and topological insulators