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  • Perspective
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Activating the molecular spinterface

Nature Materials volume 16, pages 507–515 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

The miniaturization trend in the semiconductor industry has led to the understanding that interfacial properties are crucial for device behaviour. Spintronics has not been alien to this trend, and phenomena such as preferential spin tunnelling, the spin-to-charge conversion due to the Rashba–Edelstein effect and the spin–momentum locking at the surface of topological insulators have arisen mainly from emergent interfacial properties, rather than the bulk of the constituent materials. In this Perspective we explore inorganic/molecular interfaces by looking closely at both sides of the interface. We describe recent developments and discuss the interface as an ideal platform for creating new spin effects. Finally, we outline possible technologies that can be generated thanks to the unique active tunability of molecular spinterfaces.

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Figure 1: Timeline of selected developments in molecular spintronics: from organic spintronics devices to the concept of active molecular interfaces.
Figure 2: Examples of interfacial tuning of the properties of spin-textured surfaces.
Figure 3: Active molecular spinterface devices.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge financial support from the EU COST Action MOLSPIN: Molecular Spintronics (CA15128), from the DFG by the SFB/TRR 173: Spin+X: spin in its collective environment (Project B05) (M.C.), from Italian Grant PRIN QCNaMos (V.A.D.), and from the European Research Council (257654-SPINTROS) and the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MAT2015-65159-R) (L.E.H.). We thank F. Tinti for her critical reading of the manuscript, and R. Llopis and N. Haag for their help in preparing the graphic material. Finally, we thank the many collaborators that have contributed to our understanding of this discipline along the years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimentelle Physik VI, Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, 44221, Germany

    Mirko Cinchetti

  2. Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati CNRISMN, Bologna, 40129, Italy

    V. Alek Dediu

  3. CIC nanoGUNE, San Sebastian, 20018, Spain

    Luis E. Hueso

  4. IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, 48013, Spain

    Luis E. Hueso

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  1. Mirko Cinchetti
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Correspondence to Luis E. Hueso.

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Cinchetti, M., Dediu, V. & Hueso, L. Activating the molecular spinterface. Nature Mater 16, 507–515 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4902

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