New Magnetic Materials Overcome Key Barrier to Spintronic Devices

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Traditional magnetic devices have an intrinsic limit: packed too closely together, ferromagnetic materials affect each other. This translates into a functional cap on data density beyond which the spins become corrupted. However, AFM materials—or discrete AFM crystals in this instance—exert no external influence.

“We can, in theory, pack much more information into devices by manipulating antiferromagnetic spin,” Dean said. “That’s part of the promise of spintronics.”

The combination of low energy input—think efficient writing of data—and density make the new material an ideal candidate for investment.

“The obstacle right now has to do with scale,” Liu said. “This is a first-of-its-kind material, so no industrial-scale process exists. But this is how it starts, and the demand for this kind of functionality might rapidly move this innovation into applications.”

Additional collaborating institutions include Charles University in Prague.

About Brookhaven National Laboratory

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