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Spintronics=spin based electronics information is carried by spin not by charge ferromagnetic metallic alloy based devices transport in fm materials is spin polarized
Introduction
y Conventional electronic devices ignore the spin property y As electronic devices become smaller, quantum properties of the wavelike nature of electrons are no longer negligible. y Adding the spin degree of freedom provides new effects, new capabilities and new functionalities y Information is stored into spin as one of two possible orientations
Advantages of spintronics
y Non-volatile memory y performance improves with smaller devices y Low power consumption y Spintronics does not require unique and specialised semiconductors y Dissipation less transmission y Switching time is very less y compared to normal RAM chips, spintronic RAM chips will:
increase storage densities by a factor of three have faster switching and rewritability rates smaller
Phases in Spintronics
y SPIN INJECTION y SPIN TRANSFER y SPIN DETECTION
Spin injection
y Using a ferromagnetic electrode y effective fields caused by spin-orbit interaction. y a vacuum tunnel barrier could be used to effectively inject spins into a semiconductor y back biased Fe/AlGaAs Schottky diode has been reported to yield a spin injection efficiency of 30% y By hot electrons
Spin Transfer
y Current passed through a magnetic field becomes spin
polarized
y This flipping of magnetic spins applies a relatively large torque
M1
M2
The spin of the conduction electron is rotated by its interaction with the magnetization.
This implies the magnetization exerts a torque on the spin. By Conservation of angular momentum, the spin exerts an equal and Opposite torque on the magnetization.
Spin detection
Optical detection techniques using magnetic
resonance force microscopy
SPIN RELAXATION
y Leads to spin equilibration y T1-Spin-lattice relaxation time y T2-Spin-spin relaxation time y Neccesary condition 2T1>=T2.
ferromagnetic layers separated by a very thin (about 1 nm) non-ferromagnetic spacer (e.g. Fe/Cr/Fe)
y When the magnetization of the two outside
antiparallel, high R
Spin Valve
y Simplest and most successful spintronic device y Used in HDD to read information in the form of
Tunnel Magnetoresistance
y Tunnel Magnetoresistive effect combines the two
spin channels in the ferromagnetic materials and the quantum tunnel effect y TMR junctions have resistance ratio of about 70% y MgO barrier junctions have produced 230% MR
MRAM
y MRAM uses magnetic storage elements y Tunnel junctions are used to read the information
stored in MRAM
MRAM
y Attempts were made to control bit writing by
using relatively large currents to produce fields y This proves unpractical at nanoscale level
MRAM
y The spin transfer mechanism can be used to
write to the magnetic memory cells y Currents are about the same as read currents, requiring much less energy
MRAM
y MRAM promises: y Density of DRAM y Speed of SRAM y Non-volatility like flash
Spin Transistor
y Ideal use of MRAM would utilize control of the
spin channels of the current y Spin transistors would allow control of the spin current in the same manner that conventional transistors can switch charge currents y Using arrays of these spin transistors, MRAM will combine storage, detection, logic and communication capabilities on a single chip y This will remove the distinction between working memory and storage, combining functionality of many devices into one
Current Research
y Ferromagnetic transition temperature in excess of y
y y y
100 K Spin injection from ferromagnetic to non-magnetic semiconductors and long spin-coherence times in semiconductors. Ferromagnetism in Mn doped group IV semiconductors. Room temperature ferromagnetism Large magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic semiconductor tunnel junctions.
Future Outlook
y High capacity hard drives y Magnetic RAM chips y Spin FET using quantum tunneling y Quantum computers
limitations
y Controlling spin for long distances y Difficult to INJECT and MEASURE spin. y Interfernce of fields with nearest elements y Control of spin in silicon is difficult
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