Making Magnets Flip Like Cats at Room Temperature
July 21, 2016 | Johannes Gutenberg University MainzEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In today’s world of ever-increasing digital information storage and computation, the next information storage revolution seeks to exploit a novel effect arising from the relativistic physics of Einstein which allows to make a new type of magnet behave like cats. Similar to the ability of a cat to flip itself in the air by twisting different parts of its body in different directions and land on its feet, these magnets can flip themselves through the internal motion of their own electrons. "In these new magnetic materials, a current running through the magnet can turn around the direction of the magnetization depending on the direction of the current," explained Professor Jairo Sinova of the Institute of Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). "This novel phenomenon in physics, dubbed spin-orbit torques, links the spin-degree of freedom of magnets which gives rise to the magnetization to the charge degree of freedom that allows for current-charge motion inside the material.
This novel effect has been pioneered, among others, by recent predictions by the Sinova group in Mainz together with theoretical and experimental collaborators. It occurs in magnetic materials that have broken-inversion symmetry. The researchers first observed spin-orbit torques in the artificial bulk diluted magnetic semiconductor GaMnAs. GaMnAs is the diluted counterpart of crystalline zincblende structures of Silicon and Gallium arsenide, which are the pillars of modern electronics. However, in GaMnAs, spin-orbit torques were demonstrated only at very low temperatures.
In collaboration with an international team of researchers from Prague, Cambridge, Würzburg, Jülich, and Nottingham, Professor Jairo Sinova and his Ph.D. students Jacob Gayles and Libor Šmejkal now have published their findings, which could pave the way for using spin-orbit torques in technological applications. Thanks to the synergetic teamwork of theorists and experimentalists, the researchers were able to predict and demonstrate the effect of spin-orbit torques in NiMnSb crystal at room temperature. NiMnSb was chosen according to the systematic analysis of the symmetry the crystal point groups in conjunction with microscopic first principles calculations of the effect. All electrical ferromagnetic resonance measurements were then used to detect the room-temperature spin-orbit torques in NiMnSb microbars. Being able to use single magnet manipulation at room temperature represents an important step towards improved magnetic random access memory architectures for technical applications that are all fully electrical, highly scalable, and require low power.
Suggested Items
SMTA Ontario Presents Webinar on Achieving Enhanced Reliability with a Novel Lead-Free, Bismuth-Free, Low-Temperature Solder
01/09/2025 | SMTAThe Ontario Chapter of the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) invites electronics industry professionals to a technical webinar featuring Emily Belfield, Regional Sales Manager at Indium Corporation.
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Low-Temperature Soldering, Vol. 2, Chapter 5
12/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamChapter 5 introduces the advantages of using low-temperature soldering for through-hole components, including cost efficiency, reliability improvement, and reduced warpage. Also covered: the evaluation of different fluxes and the performance of HRL3 in wave soldering and selective soldering processes.
PDR Offers Advanced Infrared Heating Technology for BGA Rework
12/02/2024 | PDRPDR Americas is proud to highlight its industry-leading solutions for BGA and SMT rework. As a trusted partner in electronics manufacturing, PDR’s rework stations deliver precision, reliability, and simplicity, setting a new standard for addressing the challenges of modern rework applications.
sureCore Now Licensing its CryoMem Range of IP for Quantum Computing
11/26/2024 | sureCoresureCore, the memory specialist, has announced that it is now licensing its CryoMem™ suite of Memory IP that is designed for use at the extremely low temperatures required for Quantum Computing (QC) applications.
Indium Technical Expert to Present at SiP Conference China
11/25/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Senior Area Technical Manager for East China Leo Hu is scheduled to deliver a presentation on Low-Temperature Solder Material in Semiconductor Packaging Applications at SiP China Conference 2024 on November 27 in Suzhou, China.