BY

Soni Manoj P. 3rd semester Materials science Roll No. :- 16

Contents
Introduction History Concept behind spintronic devices Types of spintronic devices Metal based spintronic devices GMR Devices based on GMR Semiconductor based spintronic devices Magnetic semiconductors Preparation of magnetic semiconductors Applications Limitations References

Introduction
The mass, charge and spin of electrons in the solid state lay the foundation of the information technology we use today. Integrated circuits and high frequency devices made of semiconductors, have great success using the charge of electrons. Whereas in hard disks and magnetic tapes, the magnetic recording is carried out by using the spin of electrons.

Spintronics is an emerging technology which exploits the intrinsic spin of electrons in addition to its fundamental electronic charge in electronic devices.

Spintronics history
The Early Years 1988 - Giant Magnetoresistive Effect (GME) discovered by Albert Fert in France and Peter Gruenberg in Germany. 1989 - IBM scientists made a string of key discoveries about the "giant magnetoresistive" effect in thin-film structures. 1997 - first GMR (Giant magnetoresistive) Hard-disk head introduced by IBM. 2000 - University of Buffalo get 10$ million to develop specific ferromagnetic materials for use in "spintronics 2001 - University of Arkansas physicists have successfully injected a stream of electrons with identical spins into a semiconductor. 2001 - IBM's 'Pixie Dust' Breakthrough to Quadruple Disk Drive Density 2002 - A new device allows the polarization (or spin) of an electron to determine the switching of the device 2002 - Plastic Shows Promise For Spintronics, Magnetic Computer Memory 2003 - Min Ouyang and David Awschalom of the University of California at Santa Barbara have transferred electron spins across molecular bridges between quantum dots for the first time.

2004 A family of silicon-based semiconductors that exhibit magnetic properties has been discovered. IBM scientists view a single electron spin with a special atomic force microscope 2005 New Spintronic Speed Record - 2GHz MRAM devised. Discovery of 'Doping' Mechanism in Semiconductor Nanocrystals. 2006 Researchers at the University of Michigan created a computer chip based on the esoteric science of quantum mechanics. Breakthrough 1.2 Petabyte Spintronics 3.5 Disk Drive. A team of Princeton scientists has turned semiconductors into magnets by the precise placement of metal atoms within a material from which chips are made. Freescale begins selling 4-Mbit MRAM. Spin Hall effect detected at room temperature. 2007 First breakthrough in applying spin-based electronics to silicon UCSD Physicists Devise Viable Design For Spin-Based Electronics Nobel prize for Giant Magnetoresistance discovery

Concept behind the spintronic devices

Electrons have two states of spin, spin "up" and spin "down". To make a spintronic device, the primary requirements are: (1) To have a system that can generate a current of spin polarized electrons - called a spin injector, (2) A separate system that is sensitive to the spin polarization of the electrons called spin detector. Manipulation of the electron spin during transport between injector and detector via spin precession can be accomplished using external magnetic fields.

Types of spintronic devices

1. Metal based spintronic devices (GMR read heads in large capacity hard disk drives) 2. Semiconductor based spintronic devices (Spin LED, Spin FET, Spin gated devices )

Metal based Spintronic devices

Giant magnetoresistence (GMR)

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is a type of magnetoresistance effect, observed in thin film structures composed of alternating ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metal layers.

Transport in FM metals is naturally spin-polari

Giant Magnetoresistive effect: In alternate Ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic layered system, R is low when the magnetic moments in the Ferromagnetic layers are aligned, R is high when the magnetic moments in the Ferromagnetic layers are antialigned.

GMR Read Head

GMR Spin valve

In spin valve GMR two ferromagnetic layers are separated by a thin non-ferromagnetic layer. If the coercive fields of the two ferromagnetic electrodes are different it is possible to switch them independently. Therefore, parallel and anti-parallel alignment can be achieved, and normally the resistance is again higher in the anti-parallel case. This device is sometimes also called a spin valve.

Semiconductor based Spintronic devices

Two main issues in semiconductor spintronics: 1. Availability of suitable materials Ideal material should be Easily integrable with electronic materials. Able to incorporate both n- and p-type dopants. With a TC above room temperature. 2. Understanding and controlling the physical phenomena: Spin injection Transport of spin polarized carriers across interfaces

Magnetic Semiconductors
Magnetic semiconductors are the materials that exhibit both ferromagnetic and semi conducting properties Traditional electronic devices are based on control of electric charge, but magnetic semiconductors allow control of quantum spin-state. This would theoretically provide spin polarization, which is important property of Spintronic devices.

Cont
The most common magnetic semiconductors are group 2-6 compounds (like CdTe, ZnSe, CdSe, CdS, etc.) with transition metal ions substituting their host ions. There are also materials based on 4-6 compounds (like PbTe, SnTe). These magnetic semiconductors considered as containing two interacting subsystems. The first is the system of delocalized conduction and valance band electrons and the second is the random, diluted system of localized magnetic moments associated with the magnetic ions.

As one can obtain n- or p-type semiconductors by doping, one can synthesize new magnetic materials by introducing magnetic impurities in non magnetic semiconductors. Alloys of a nonmagnetic semiconductor and magnetic elements: Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors (DMS)

Figure indicates the injection of Mn atom in the GaAs crystal

The image is microscopic visualization of electron cloud together with a model of the gallium arsenide crystal structure.

Applications
Spintronic devices are used in the field of mass-storage devices. It can provide storage density is about 1.5 Gbit/mm. It means that storage of 1 TB data on a single sided 3.5" diameter disc. Nowadays, the spintronic device in use is the spin-valve. This device utilizes a layered structure of thin films of magnetic materials.

Limitations
Solid solubility: Magnetic behavior of magnetic semiconductors is dependent on the concentration of magnetic material.

Temperature: Most of the magnetic semiconductors have Tc below room temperature.

Some of the Major Companies Atomistix IBM corporation (SpinAps) Intel Freescale semiconductors NVE corporation Organic Spintronics

Spintronics Research centres

Center for Spin Effects and Quantum Information in Nanostructures (CSEQuIN) Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation is part of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Nanospin (Europeen commision project-8 univs.) SpinAps (IBM-Stanford Spintronic Science and Applications Center) Spintec (jointly operated by CEA and CNRS) The center on Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics (FENA) Los Angeles, CA Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN)

References
Survey of Semiconductor physics (2nd edition, volume 1, 2002) www.physorg.com www.wikipedia.com www.google.com