Researchers in the Materials Science and Technology division of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) demonstrated electrical injection, detection and precession of spin accumulation in silicon at temperatures up to 225 degrees Celsius. This is the first time that silicon spin accumulation is shown to be viable as a basis for practical spintronics devices that meet operating temperatures requirements (the highest is 125?C for military applications).
The NRL team used ferromagnetic metal / silicon dioxide contacts on silicon to electrically generate and detect spin accumulation and precession in the silicon transport channel. They concluded that the spin information can be transported in the silicon over distances readily compatible with existing fabrication technology.
via e!ScienceNews
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