Spintronic logic: from transducers to logic gates and circuits

While magnetic solid-state memory has found commercial applications to date, magnetic logic has rather remained on a conceptual level so far. Here, we discuss open challenges of different spintronic logic approaches, which use magnetic excitations for computation. While different logic gate designs have been proposed and proof of concept...

Spin torque transistor revisited

We theoretically study the operation of a 4-terminal device consisting of two lateral thin-film spin valves that are coupled by a magnetic insulator such as yttrium iron garnet via the spin transfer torque. By magnetoelectronic circuit theory we calculate the current voltage characteristics and find negative differential resistance and...

Interaction effects in spin-valve structures

Most applications in electronics are based on manipulation of the electron charge. Currently, there is also a lot of research into the possibility to make use of the electron spin, for example in magnetoelectronics. This field of research studies hybrid systems consisting of ferromagnetic metals, paramagnetic metals and insulators. In this...

Electrical and mechanical magnetization torques

Only charge degree of freedom is utilized in most electronic devices. The use of the spin degree of freedom is relatively recent. The discovery of the Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) effect initiated the development of magnetoelectronics - the field that studies effects on electron transport involving the spin degree of freedom. GMR is a very...

Spin-torque transistor

A magnetoelectronic thin-film transistor is proposed that can display negative differential resistance and gain. The working principle is the modulation of the soure–drain current in a spin valve by the magnetization of a third electrode, which is rotated by the spin-torque created by a control spin valve. The device can operate at room...