Researchers from the Queen Mary University of London and Switzerland-based Paul Scherrer Institute have succeeded to measure how magnetic polarisation is lost. The resulting
improved understanding of the workings of electronic devices using the
spin degree of freedom, and the field of organic spintronics in
general, finally paves the way for ensuring higher efficiencies in spin
transfer, and thus for the future of spin-based electronic devices.
The
researchers came out with a new depth-resolved technique for measuring
the spin polarisation of current-injected electrons in an organic spin
valve and found that the temperature dependence of the measured spin
diffusion length was correlated to the device’s magneto-resistance. The
scientists used elementary particles called muons that act as tiny
magnets, to measure the magnetic field within the device.
Spin
valves are usually made up of at least three layers – two magnetic
layers separated by a non-magnetic one – and the team attempted to
investigate how spins travel across the middle of these layers. It is
believed that the research team’s findings are quite significant both
to the understanding of spintronic devices, and to the eventual
development of next generation data storage solutions and other novel
devices and applications.
Via DataWeek
