Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)

Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)

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Spintronics- A Vision for Future in

Electronics and Computers
Vijay Laxmi Kalyani, Vaishali Agrawal
Vijay Laxmi Kalyani , Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication, Govt. Mahila Engineering College, Ajmer,
Rajasthan, India,
vijaylaxmikalyani@yahoo.com
Vaishali Agrawal, B.Tech scholar, Department of Electronics and Communication, Govt.Mahila Engineering College,Ajmer, Rajasthan,
India, avaishali239@gmail.com

Abstract- Conventional electronic devices based on conventional low and high logic values, which are
the transport of electrical charge carriers - represented by simple currents. It played an important role
electrons- in a semiconductor such as silicon. not only in solid state physics, and possible devices that
specifically exploit spin properties instead of or in addition to
Spintronics is an emerging field of electronics,
charge degrees of freedom but also for ready demonstrated
where instead of using the charge of electrons,
potential these phenomena have in electronic technology
devices work by manipulating electron spin. .The prototype device that is already use in industry as a read
In this paper describe a new paradigm of electronics head and a memory storage cell is the “Giant magneto
based on the spin degree of freedom of the electron. resistance” (GMR) which consist of alternating non magnetic
Either adding the spin degree of freedom to and ferromagnetic layers. Recent efforts in GMR technology
conventional electronic devices or using the spin have also involved magnetic tunnel junction devices where
alone has the potential advantages of non-volatility in tunneling current depends on spin orientations of the
, increased fast speed of data processing , decreased electrodes. With the addition of spin state to the mix, a bit can
have four possible states, which might be called down –low,
electric power consumption, more versatile and
down-high, up-low and up-high. These four states represent
increased integration densities compared with quantum bits (qubits) potentially, this technique could then
conventional semiconductor devices also used in be used to transmit or store data on an unprecedented scale.
Semiconductor lasers and nanotechnology. Recent The discovery of these spin dependent effects in metallic
research in new materials engineering hold the electrical transport has spawned a wide range of further
promise of realizing spintronic devices in near investigations and has united previously distinct subfields of
future. physics into the new field of Spintronics. This includes spin
dependent transport in semiconductors, spin- dependent
In this paper the author wants to present the tunneling through insulators, and spin transport effects driven
current state of spin based devices, efforts in new by the spin -orbit interaction in semiconductors, oxides, and
materials for fabrication, issues in spin transport, metals. Some of the themes of Spintronics will be explored
in section II and III including concepts of spin transport, its
and optical spin manipulation. Also we describe the
characteristics, its applications and spin-dependent electrical
future of spintronics in electronics and computing properties of materials. Spintronic technology has been tested
field. in mass storage components such as hard drives. The
technology tried to use in digital electronics and it promises
Keywords- Spintronic devices, spin transport, optical the potential create a new generation of super-fast computers,
spin manipulation, and efficient injection, spin polarization capable of processing vast amounts of data in energy-
and spin polarised currents. efficient way .The existence of four, rather than two, defined
states for a logic bit translate into higher data transfer speed,
I. INTRODUCTION
greater processing power, increased memory density, and
Spintronics is a branch of physics concerned with the storage increased storage capacity, provided the properties of
and transfer of information by means of electron pairs in electron spin can be sufficiently controlled by practical
addition to electron charge as in conventional electronics. applications. Spintronics is an exciting field that holds
Spintronics is made up of two words “spin transport and promise to build faster and more efficient computers and
electronics”. It is also known as fluxtronic, is an emerging devices.
technology of nanoscale electronics involving the detection
II. CONCEPTS OF SPINTRONICS
and manipulation of electron spin. It is new science of
computers and memory chips that are based on electron spin
Spintronics emerged from discoveries in the 1980s
rather than charge. Spintronics exploits another fundamental
concerning spin-dependent electron transport phenomena in
property of that electron, called “spin”. “Spin” refers to
solid-state devices. This includes the observation of spin-
intrinsic angular momentum of the electron, and makes it
polarized electron injection from a ferromagnetic metal to a
behave as a tiny magnet. Electron spin can be detected as a
normal metal by Johnson and Silsbee (1985),and the
magnetic field having two possible states known as down and
discovery of giant magnetoresistance independently by
up. This provides an additional two binary states to the
Albert Fert et al. and Peter Grünberg et al. (1988)[1].New and

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 Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
Website: www.jmeit.com | E-mail : editorjmeit@outlook.com|jmeit@outlook.com
intriguing devices for more efficient information processing Minority spins constitute a good supply of spins when the
have emerged in the first decade of the new millennium. A current passes from a ferromagnet to a non-magnetic
new area is discussed in electronics, an area that has seen material. spin injection is achieved by using ferromagnetic
various degrees of experimental success in proving that contacts, commonly described as “spin injectors” .In
information can indeed be encoded, transported and stored electrical spin injection a magnetic electrode is connected to
using both electron charge and spin. Spin allows for the the sample .when the current drives spin polarised electrons
differentiation between electrons grouping them into two from the electrode to the sample , non-equilibrium spin
types , “spin-up” and “spin- down” depending on their +1/2 accumulates there. Many materials in their ferromagnetic
and -1/2 spin projection onto a given quantization axis. In state can have a substantial degree of equilibrium carrier spin
ferromagnetic materials, there is an imbalance at the Fermi polarization. Non-equilibrium spin is the result of some
level in the number of “spin up” and “spin down” electrons. sources of pumping arising from transport, optical, or
Because of imbalance, electrons travelling from one metal resonance methods. Once the pumping is turned off the spin
ferromagnet to another through a non-magnetic spacer carry will return to its equilibrium value. Electrical spin injection
an information about the magnetization of the first is an example of transport method for generating non-
ferromagnet. The spin of a single electron is considered a equilibrium spin, has already been realised experimentally by
suitable entity to encode a qubit Clark and Feher who drove a direct current through a sample
of InSb in the presence of constant applied magnetic field.
Generation of non-equilibrium polarisation and spin
accumulation is also possible by optical methods known as
optical orientation or optical pumping. In optical orientation,
the angular momentum of absorbed circularly polarised light
is transferred to the medium. Transport, optical and
resonance methods have all been used to create
nonequlibrium spin. For most cases of simple macroscopic-
charge-current-flow, such as current flow in metals, transport
Fig.-1 Spin resolved density of the states in neutral and is analysed assuming that the charge carriers are in a local
ferromagnetic metals. equilibrium. Spin transport requires a new descriptive
framework. The spin of an electron can be altered through
A coherent superposition of “spin up” and “spin down”
interaction with the external fields or the surroundings and,
states. Thus, information can be encode via electron spin and
hence, is not a conserved quantity for carriers. For “spin
transported from one part of the device to another using
transport”, however, the basic principle is to create a
electron current, if certain conditions are met for the phase
(nonequilibrium) population of carriers inside the device
coherence to be maintained. The coding can be changed by
such that the net spin moment is non-zero and to manipulate
remagnetizing the metal ferromagnet containing the
this spin polarisation via a gate electrode or some local
information. Generation and control of spin polarized
magnetic field for device operation. The theoretical treatment
electrical conduction while maintaining phase coherence is
can also be simplified considerably if a single quantisation
likely to have great impact on quantum information
axis can be selected and the spin polarisation in transverse
technology.’ A net spin polarisation can be achieved either
directions can be neglected. In this situation, referred to as
through creating an equilibrium energy splitting between spin
incoherent spin transport, a quasi-chemical potential can be
up and spin down such as putting a material in a large
introduced for each of the two spin directions of a spin-1/2
magnetic field (Zeeman Effect) or the exchange energy
particle, a spin-up quasi- chemical potential, and a spin-down
present in a ferromagnet or forcing the system out of
kquasi-chemical potential. “Quasi-chemical potential” refers
equilibrium. Spintronics is based on three factors: spin
to a model where the spin-up carriers are considered to be a
injection, spin transport, and spin selective detection.
local equilibrium with other spin up carriers but spin-up and
(A). SPIN INJECTION AND SPIN TRANSPORT spin-down are not in an equilibrium to each other. This is
very similar model to that used to describe non-equilibrium
According to Mott’s model, “spin- up” and “spin- down” transport in semiconductors. If a single quantisation axis
electrons exist in two different channels in a ferromagnetic cannot be defined, then the system is in the realm of coherent
material. Although spin-flip scakttering occurs between the spin transport. One approach to the theory of coherent spin
two channels resulting in spins losing their initial orientation, transport is to consider the evolution of the spin density
it is often neglected given the short time scales of all other matrix through the system instead of merely considering the
processes in the system. Nonetheless, the density of states in evolution of diagonal elements.
the two spin channels is different and the electrical current is
primarily due to electrons with a lower density of states at the (B). SPIN DETECTION
Fermi level. These are known as “minority spin carriers”, The most obvious approach to the electrical detection of spin
opposed to “majority spin carriers” corresponding to those populations in semiconductors and other devices is to use
with a higher density of states. It is useful to define two spin dependent transport properties of semiconductor-
quantities (a) density of states (DOS) spin polarisation p(dos) ferromagnetic interfaces. Spin valve detection scheme have
of the injector ferromagnet and (b) spin polarisation η of the used ohmic contacts for the spin collection electrode. But
injected current (also known as spin injection efficiency).
there is difficulty arises that it appears that for effective spin
collection, either a ballistic contact or a tunneling contact

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 Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
Website: www.jmeit.com | E-mail : editorjmeit@outlook.com|jmeit@outlook.com
from the semiconductor to a ferromagnet will be required. An semiconductor based RAM and non volatile character of
alternative spin detection scheme is a potentiometric magnetic memories. It has the properties of high speed, non
measurement, with a ferromagnetic electrode, of the volatility, unlimited wire endurance and low cost. These
chemical potential of the non equilibrium spin populations. memories use the hysteresis of magnetic materials for storing
data and some form of magnetoresistance for reading out the
data.

Fig.-3 MRAM (magnetic random access memory)

Fig.-2 Model for change of conductance G between magnetisation M IV. SPINTRONICS WITH SEMICONDUCTORS
(parallel) and antiparallel two ferromagnetic regions. It is very attractive as it can combine the potential of
semiconductors (control of current by gate, coupling with
III. SPINTRONICS DEVICES optics) with the potentials of magnetic materials. For
In the last decade there were significant advances in the field example- to gather storage, detection, logic, and
of Spintronics. New effects, new functions and new devices communication capabilities on a single chip that could
have been explored. The spin polarised current was replace several components. New concept of components
efficiently injected from a ferromagnetic metal into a non- have also been proposed, for example, the concept of spin
magnetic metal and a semiconductor, the method of electrical field effect transistor(Spin FETs) based on spin transport in
detection of spin current was developed. However, the semiconductor lateral channels between spin polarised
efficiency of Spintronics devices is still low. At present, most source and drain with control of spin transmission by a field
Spintronics devices either operate at cryogenic temperatures effect gate . Some nonmagnetic semiconductors have a
or have a spin-dependent output signal, which is just a little definite advantage on metal in terms of coherence time and
above noise level. It is important to improve the performance propagation of spin polarisation on long distances.
of Spintronics devices otherwise they have no chance of Spintronics with semiconductors is currently developed
competing with Si- electronics devices [2]. There are many along several roads.
advantages of spin-related effects is that they have significant
magnitude. Ferromagnetic metals own their great carrier as i) The first way of Spintronics is based on hybrid structures
Spintronics materials to the spin effects they display. The associating ferro-magnetic metals with nonmagnetic
most practical application are giant magnetoresistance and semiconductors. Schmidt have raised the problem of
tunneling magnetoresistance in devices built for “conductivity mismatch” to inject a spin-polarized current
from a magnetic metal into a semiconductor. Solutions have
ferromagnetic metals. The discovery in 1988 of the GMR is
been proposed by the theory19-20 and one knows today that
considered the beginning of the new, spin based electronics.it the injection/extraction of a spin-polarized current into/from
is observed in artificial thin –film materials composed of a semiconductor can be achieved with a spin-dependent
alternate ferromagnetic and non-magnetic layers. Resistance interface resistance, typically a tunnel junction. Spin
of metals depends on the mean free path of the conduction injection/extraction through a tunnel contact has been now
electrons- shorter the mean free path higher the resistance. demonstrated in spin LEDs and magneto-optical
The resistance of material is lowest when the magnetic experiments.
moments in ferromagnetic layers are aligned and highest However, in structures for lateral spin transport between
when they are anti-aligned. The current can either be spin-polarized sources and drains, only very modest results
perpendicular to interfaces (CPP) or can be parallel to have been obtained up to now, contrast between parallel and
interfaces (CIP). An external magnetic field, below a certain antiparallel magnetic configurations of the source and the
magnitude, can change the magnetisation direction of the free drain never exceeding a few %.
ferromagnet without altering the direction of magnetisation a. Another way for Spintronics with semiconductors is based
on the fabrication of ferromagnetic semiconductors. The
of the pinned ferromagnet, this leads to phenomenon of
ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs (x ≈ a few %)
GMR. Another important phenomenon is tunneling has been discovered21 by the group of Ohno in Sendai in
magnetoresistance (TMR) and magnetic tunnel junctions 1996, and, since this time, has revealed very interesting
with ferromagnetic electrodes. The resistance of MTJ is properties, namely the possibility of controlling the
different for the parallel and antiparallel magnetic ferromagnetic properties with a gate voltage, and also large
configurations of their electrodes. Some early observations of TMR and TAMR (Tunnelling Anisotropic
TMR effects, small and at low temperatures, had been Magnetoresistance) effects. However its Curie temperature
already reported by Julliere. The MTJ are at the basis of new has reached only 170 K, well below room temperature, which
concept of magnetic memory MRAM. (Magnetic random rules out most practical applications. Several room
access memory) combining the short access time of

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 Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
Website: www.jmeit.com | E-mail : editorjmeit@outlook.com|jmeit@outlook.com
temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors have been and high level radiations or interference
announced but the situation is not clear on this front yet.
ii) The research is now very active on a third way exploiting
spin-polarized currents induced by spin-orbit effects, namely
• 2. Giant Magneto Resistance (GMR) - GMR can be
the Spin Hall, Rashba or Dresselhaus effects. In the Spin Hall
Effect21, for example, spin-orbit interactions deflect the considered the first real applications of the promising field of
currents of the spin up and spin down channels in opposite nanotechnology. GMR refers to a large change in resistance
transverse directions, thus inducing a transverse spin current, (typically 10 to 20%) when the devices are subjected to a
even in a nonmagnetic conductor. This could be used to magnetic field, compared with a maximum sensitivity of a
create spin currents in structures composed of only few percent for other types of magnetic sensors. It is used to
nonmagnetic conductors [3]. make more sensitive hard disk drives read heads.

V. OPTICAL MANIPULATION OF SPIN

The photon itself couples only weakly to spin, however the
spin orbit interaction permits spin-selective optical
transitions to occur even through electric dipole interactions.
The details of such transitions depends on the electronic
structure of the specific material, and most optical
experiments to probe the dynamics have been performed on
direct gap zincblende semiconductors. For these materials,
the conduction band has s- like symmetry and valence band Fig.-4 Giant Magneto Resistance (GMR)
has p-like symmetry. The crystal field of the semiconductor
3. GMR Sensors
does not further split the electronics states in the conduction
GMR sensors are already being developed in UK
or valence band at Г point. Instead , of splitting that occurs
universities. They have a wide range of applications and the
due to spin-orbit interaction, which splits the six p states into market is worth 8 billion dollars a year. GMR sensors are
a four fold degenerate j=3/2 multiplet and j=1/2 doublet. The used for a wide range of applications.
valance-band edge corresponds to j=3/2 multiplet, and the 1. Fast and accurate position and motion sensing of
individual states are labelled by heavy hole and light hole up mechanical components in precision engineering and
and down. The heavy hole corresponds to orbital angular robotics.
momentum parallel to spin angular momentum and are 2. All kinds of automotive sensors for fuel handling systems,
product states of spin and orbit. An electric dipole transition anti-skid systems, speed control and navigation,
will be a spin-conserving transition and, if it involves Missileguidance.
circularly polarised light, will either change the orbital 3. Position and motion sensing in computer video games
angular momentum by +1(σ+= will generate heavy hole of j=
+3/2 or a light hole= +1/2) or -1(σ_) along the axis of
propagation . The probability of first process is three times
larger than the probability of second. Thus circularly
polarised light will generate an optically excited density of
spin polarised conduction electrons, with a maximum
polarisation 50%

P density = n↑-n↓ /n↑+n↓ Fig.-5 Spintronic sensor technology being tested on a

Mercedes V8engine at Oxford
Time resolved non-linear optical techniques have provided 4. SPIN Valves
direct measurements of the evolution of the population of Spin valves are not only highly sensitive magnetic sensors
spins, once they have been injected into a nonmagnetic but these can also be made to act as switches by flipping
semiconductor. optical pulses are used to create a magnetization in one of the layers parallel or anti parallel as
superposition of the basis spin states defined by an applied in a convectional transistor memory device.
magnetic field and follow the phase., amplitude, and location
of the resulting electronic spin precession(coherence) in bulk
semiconductors, heterostructures, and quantum dots, 5. Creating Faster Computers
nanosecond dynamics persist to room temperature, providing Silicon is widely used in electronics industry. So, hybrid
pathways toward practical coherent quantum magneto devices that combine magnetic layers with semiconductors
electronics. like silicon could be made to behave more like conventional
transistors. These could be used as non-volatile logic
VI. APPLICATION OF SPINTRONICS elements that could be reprogrammed using software during
actual processing to create an entirely new type of very fast
1. Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) - a new type computers.
of non- volatile memory that uses magnetic moments to
6. Quantum Computers
retain data instead of electrical charges. Advantages are
one of most ambitions devices is the spin based quantum
lower cost, smaller size, faster speed and less power based computer in solid state structures using electron spin
consumption. These can survive even in high temperature

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 Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
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for this purposes is an obvious idea since fermions with ½ John Slonczewski14 and appears also in papers of
spin is a natural and intrinsic qubit. Berger15, is illustrated in Fig.4. As described in the caption
The applications of Spintronics in quantum computation has of the figure, the transfer of a transverse spin current to the
focused on using quantum-dot-trapped electron spins in “free” magnetic layer F2 can be described by a torque acting
GaAs .Because of the three dimensional confinement and the on its magnetic moment. This torque can induce an
fact that GaAs conduction band is mainly band in mainly irreversible switching of this magnetic moment or, in a
second regime, generally in the presence of an applied field,
formed from ‘s’ atomic orbital , the trapped electrons have a
it generates precessions of the moment in the microwave
small spin –orbit coupling and therefore small decoherence frequency range.
rate. In the Qd-Qc model, one electron spin per quantum dot
works as a quantum qubit. Two coupled spins on two
neighboring dots provide two qubit operations through the
inter dot electronics exchange coupling. The external
magnetic fields provide means to manipulate single qubits
[4].

7. Magnetic Field Sensors

A new type of magnetic field sensor is the spin valve

transistor. This transistor is based on the magneto resistance
found in multilayers. The resistance of a multilayer is
measured with the current in plane (CIP). The CIP
configuration suffers from several drawbacks; for example, Fig.-6 Magnetic switching and microwave generation by spin
the CIP magneto resistance is diminished by shunting and transfer.
diffusive surface scattering. Hence the fundamental 9. Racetrack memory
parameters of the spin valve effect, such as the relative Racetrack memory uses a spin-coherent electric current to
contribution of the interface and bulk spin dependent
move magnetic domains along a nanoscopic perm alloy wire
scattering, are difficult to obtain using the CIP geometry.
about 200 nm across and 100 nm thick. As current is passed
Measuring with the current perpendicular to plane solves
through the wire, the domains pass by magnetic read/write
most problems, mainly because the electrons cross all
magnetic layers. The spin valve transistor consists of a silicon heads positioned near the wire, which alter the domains to
emitter, a magnetic multilayer as the base and a silicon record patterns of bits. A racetrack memory device is made
collector. up of many such wires and read/write elements. In general
Electrons are injected from the emitter, passing the first operational concept, racetrack memory is similar to the
Schottky barrier (semiconductor metal interface) into the earlier bubble memory of the 1960s and 1970s. Delay line
base. Because of the thin base multilayer (10 nm), most memory, such as mercury delay lines of the 1940s and 1950s,
electrons are not directed to the base contact and travel are a still-earlier form of similar technology, as used in the
perpendicular through the multilayer across the second UNIVAC and EDSAC computers. Like bubble memory,
Schottky barrier to form the collector current. racetrack memory uses electrical currents to "push" a
A Co-Cu multilayer is sputtered on one of the silicon magnetic pattern through a substrate. Dramatic
substrates. The last layer is sputtered on both substrates and improvements in magnetic detection capabilities, based on
these are pressed together at the last section of the sputter the development of Spintronic magnetoresistive-sensing
deposition. A metal layer between the two crystalline materials and devices, allow the use of much smaller
semiconductors is accomplished and the bond proves
magnetic domains to provide far higher bit densities [5].
stronger than silicon.

The mean free path varies with the applied magnetic field,
hence the collector current becomes strongly
Field dependent the extreme magento sensitivity makes the
transistors device for high technology read heads for high
density Hard disks and magnetic RAM’S.

8. Magnetic switching and microwave generation by spin

transfer.
Fig.-7 image for race track memory in Spintronics
Source: http://researcher.watson.ibm.com
The study of the spin transfer phenomena is one of the most
promising new directions in Spintronics today. In spin
transfer experiments, one manipulates the magnetic moment
of a ferromagnetic body without applying any magnetic field
but only by transfer of spin angular momentum from a spin-
polarized current. The concept, which has been introduced by

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Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
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VII. FUTURE SCOPE to be seen, but this feature alone may be enough to
maintain interest in the field for years to come.
1. FUTURE OF SPINTRONICS IN ELECTRONICS For better or for worse, Spintronics research is strongly tied
to technological developments and device improvements.
A. A new combination of magnetic and semiconductor MRAM to be the next big thing for the Spintronics industry
materials which are based on spin effect could lead to optical [6].
and electronic devices that are faster, smaller, reliable,
economical and lower powered. 3. OLD MEMORIES
Before semi-conductor memory become as dominant as it is
B. A number of researchers are trying to use the “spin effect” today, the computer industry relied on a range of different
in transistors. These “Spintronic” transistors could be highly magnetic technologies for memory.
energy efficient and to do more computation than traditional Magnetism offered relatively fast, cheap and non-volatile
memory when the semi-conductor industry was just getting
transistor in saller space.
off the ground.
C. In optoelectronic communication, by taking the advantage Drum memory was an early success, but was clearly later
of spin of electrons lasers and light emitting diode could surpassed by magnetic core memory, which was where things
increases the data carring capacity of light. really took off. Core memory dominated the computer
D. One of the key hurdles in the emerging field is that memory market for about 20 years, and was the memory used
magnetic and semiconductor materials needed to make for the computers in the Apollo moon missions. Twistor
Spintronic device compatible, a clear interface is needed. memory was essentially a variant of core memory, and seems
to have made very little impact [6].
E. New system or Spintronic devices will maintain its
magnetic properties at room temperature and some testings 4. SEMICONDUCTOR RISING
are needed to confirm that electrons will maintain spin As core memory faded it was SRAM and DRAM that took
characteristics while travelling from metal to semiconductor. its place. There was a valiant attempt from bubble memory to
F. In future generation of ‘Spintronic’ devices which will be keep the magnetic memory dream alive, but this clearly came
smaller in size, more versatile and more robust than those to very little in the early to mid-80s. Interestingly, or perhaps
alarmingly, there has been a flattening or falling of the
currently made from circuit elements and chips.
conventional DRAM and SRAM memories. Perhaps this fall
from grace will help the rise of MRAM, or another magnetic
2. FUTURE OF SPINTRONICS IN COMPUTERS memory technology [6].
In field of Spintronics, MRAM will soon replace
conventional computer memory, domain wall storage will 5. THEN CAME TO THE HARD DRIVE
replace hard drives, and domain wall logic will replace the In memory, as opposed to storage, it is clear that semi-
conventional computer processor [6]. conductors won the battle against magnets as they rose to
The history of Moore’s law shows that many impassable greatness in the 1980s. In terms of long-term storage of data,
barriers have subsequently been overcome by technological however, the magnet is still king.
improvement. Limitations in engineering, manufacture and The hard disk drive was introduced in the late 1950s and grew
device architecture have been by-passed. The next 30 years to become almost synonymous with computer storage itself.
of computing may be very different to the last 30 years. Over the years the hard drive has relied on a number of
Spintronic phenomena to function, such as AMR and
3. INTERCONNECTS, RATHER THAN GATES ARE GMR. Like DRAM, however, the reign of the hard drive may
THE PROBLEM have reached its zenith. Although faster and more advanced
Interconnects, rather than gates are the problem, the Nano than the magnetic drum and magnetic core memories it was
scopic cabling that connects the transistors – provide some of designed to replace, Drum memory certainly died a death, but
the greatest problems of today’s devices. For instance, it is magnetic core memory was certainly the technology of
not possible for a signal to travel across the entire processing choice for the Apollo missions, several years later [6].
chip within the speed of a single clock cycle (about 200ps).
Ultimately semiconductors and hard drives came to dominate
Within the next 10 – 20 years replacing it will be lower- the world of computer memory and storage, but this paper
powered computers which solve more specific problems, sheds light on the hopes and aspirations of the fledgling
“the most successful computers are designed for the Spintronics community at the dawn of the computer age.
decathlon, rather than for just the sprint only”.
VII. CONCLUSION
4. CAN WE DELIVER ON THE HYPE?
Many ‘future technologies’ are surrounded by hype which The new field of Spintronics was born in the intersection of
those in the industry know can’t be delivered on. Quantum magnetism, electronic transport, and optics. It has achieved
computers, carbon nanotubes and photonics all come under commercial success in some areas and in advancing toward
fire for failing to deliver on scalability, fault tolerance and additional applications the rely on recent fundamental
their interconnects. For the Spintronics specialist there is discoveries. In less than twenty years, we have seen
some hope as “spin-states are particularly attractive because Spintronics increasing considerably the capacity of our hard
the promise high-density non-volatile storage”. Whether the discs and getting ready to enter the RAM of our computers or
Spintronics community can deliver on that promise remains the microwave emitters of our cell phones. Spintronics with
semiconductor or molecules is very promising too. Some of

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 Journal of Management Engineering and Information Technology (JMEIT)
Volume -2, Issue- 2, Apr. 2015, ISSN: 2394 - 8124 (Online)
Website: www.jmeit.com | E-mail : editorjmeit@outlook.com|jmeit@outlook.com
the advances that might be most helpful would be room- Author’s Detail
temperature demonstrations. Spintronics should take an
important place in the technology of our century. Vijay Laxmi Kalyani is currently working as Assistant
Professor in the department of E&C in GWEC, Ajmer. She has
attended various workshops, conferences, FDP, STC and also
REFERENCES published research papers in various International and national
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics#cite_note-6 Journals.
[2] https://staff.aist.go.jp/v.zayets/spin_introduction0.html
[3] http://docslide.us/documents/albert-fert-the-present-and-the- Vaishali Agrawal is pursuing B.Tech. (III-year) in Electronics
future-of-spintronics.html and comm. Engineering in GWEC, Ajmer.
[4] http://azhar-
paperpresentation.blogspot.in/2010/04/spintronics.html
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racetrack_memory
[6] http://spinandtonic.co.uk/perspectives/place-spintronics-
future-computing/

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