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arXiv · 0903.4981

Film Edge Nonlocal Spin Valves

Andrew T. McCallum·Mark Johnson
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Abstract

Spintronics is a new paradigm for integrated digital electronics. Recently established as a niche for nonvolatile magnetic random access memory (MRAM), it offers new functionality while demonstrating low power and high speed performance. However, to reach high density spintronic technology must make a transition to the nanometer scale. Prototype devices are presently made using a planar geometry and have an area determined by the lithographic feature size, currently about 100 nm. Here we present a new nonplanar geometry in which one lateral dimension is given by a film thickness, the order of 10 nm. With this new approach, cell sizes can shrink by an order of magnitude. The geometry is demonstrated with a nonlocal spin valve, where we study devices with an injector/detector separation much less than the spin diffusion length.

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Andrew T. McCallum, Mark Johnson. 2009-03-28. Film Edge Nonlocal Spin Valves. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl900816p

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