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New moves of the spintronics tango

Nature Materials volume 11, pages 368–371 (2012)Cite this article

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The ability of spintronics to re-energize itself in directions that germinate new subfields has made it one of the most fertile grounds for basic research aimed at future applications. A brief overview of the connections between five emerging subfields suggests exciting things to come.

Spintronics explores phenomena that interlink the spin and charge degrees of freedom. It is a field where traditional solid-state physics and materials research have created their strongest bond, with each taking alternate leading roles in a unique, fast paced, technological tango. This rapid development calls for a review of the different emergent subfields that can allow experts and non-experts alike to make connections between them and explore new directions.

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Figure 1: Operating principles in spintronic devices.
Figure 2: Future trends.

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Acknowledgements

J.S. is supported by grants ONR-000141110780, NSF-MRSEC DMR-0820414, and NSF-DMR-1105512. I.Z. is supported by grants ONR-0000140610123, AFOSR-DCT-FA9550-09-1-0493, NSF-ECCS-1102092, and DOE-BES DE-SC0004890.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jairo Sinova is in the Department of Physics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4242, USA,

    Jairo Sinova

  2. Institute of Physics ASCR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Praha 6, Czech Republic,

    Jairo Sinova

  3. Igor Žutić is in the Department of Physics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA,

    Igor Žutić

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  1. Jairo Sinova
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  2. Igor Žutić
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Correspondence to Jairo Sinova or Igor Žutić.

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Sinova, J., Žutić, I. New moves of the spintronics tango. Nature Mater 11, 368–371 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3304

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