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Magnetoelectronics

Teaching magnets new tricks

A way to control magnetism in semiconductors using an external electric field has been shown for the first time. This long-awaited result could lead to new types of information-storage devices.

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Figure 1: Behaviour of a magnetic semiconductor as a function of temperature and hole concentration (holes are positive charges).
Figure 2: An electrically controlled magnetic switch.

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Correspondence to David D. Awschalom.

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Awschalom, D., Kawakami, R. Teaching magnets new tricks. Nature 408, 923–924 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35050194

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