Spintronics

Abstract

Spintronics is the spin electronics in which both charge and spin degrees of freedom play the determining role in solid state environment. The goal of the spintronic application is to realize functions controlling electronic properties by spin or magnetic field as well as controlling magnetic properties by current or electric field. In practical sense, metal-based spintronics (i.e. giant magnetoresistance; GMR) is used as hard disk read heads and semiconductor-based spintronics (i.e. tunnel magnetoresistance; TMR) is used as magnetic random access memory (MRAM) devices. Spin transfer torque (STT) technology is applied to the existing MRAM devices of magnetic tunnel junctions with MgO barriers. STT-MRAM has the advantages of better selectivity and better scalability over conventional MRAM.