Coming of the age with spintronics-based future information

Abstract

With the miniaturization of electronic devices approaching the physical limit, new electronic devices in the post-Moore Era have attracted tremendous attention. The intrinsic characteristics of electron spin should be considered as a path to achieve much higher efficiency in information storage, transmission, and processing in order to break or bypass the thermal and quantum barriers of traditional devices. Therefore, spintronics is one of the important cornerstones for developing information technology in future. This review is summarized based on the presentations and discussions at the 285th “Shuangqing Forum” organized by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). It discusses major issues and challenges in spintronics research and the prospective of next-generation techniques of information storage and computations. Important progress and achievements are highlighted, and key scientific questions and promising areas are suggested for NSFC to fund in the next 5-10 years.