Communications of the ACM
Pairing Old Technologies With New For Next Generation Electronic Devices
Credit: Chemistry Hunger Games
University College London (UCL) researchers say they have discovered a new method to efficiently generate and control currents based on the magnetic nature of electrons in semiconducting materials.
Tapping electron spins for electronics requires an efficient technique for electrically producing and detecting spins to make devices capable of processing the spin information with low-power consumption. The spin-Hall effect helps create spin currents, which enables spin information transfer without the flow of electric charge currents. If the spin-Hall effect is used correctly, it could revolutionize spin-based memory applications. For example, the researchers reported a 40 times larger effect than previously achieved in semiconductor materials, with the largest value measured comparable to a record high value of the spin-Hall effect observed in heavy metals.
The researchers say their breakthrough demonstrates that future spintronics might be able to rely on relatively inexpensive materials that can be used to process spin information with low-power consumption. "Our results are the start of the story but are a proof of principle with a promising future for spins; as we know that there is existing matured semiconductor growth technology, we can stand on the shoulders of the giants," says UCL researcher Hidekazu Kurebayashi.
From University College London
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