The term
Spintronics refers to the exploitation of electron spin as an additional degree of freedom with which to control the motion of an electron. Many observers believe that Spintronics will deliver future generations of low-power electronics, while providing the most feasible route to the realization of a quantum computer. Many device concepts have been proposed within semiconductor spintronics, yet fundamental problems remain in the development of room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors and reliable transfer of spin-polarized electrons to and from other ferromagnetic materials. In contrast, room temperature metal-based spintronics is now well established, with Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg receiving the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the Giant Magnetoresistance effect, which has proved to be of enormous economic significance with its application to disk drive sensor technology. More recently the discovery of spin transfer torque (STT) has presented a new challenge within spintronics. By controlling non-local spin populations it seems feasible to develop an entirely new generation of electronics in which the transfer of spin angular momentum associated with an electrical current is used ot control the state of ferromagnetic components within the circuit.
Spintronics made easy
Nobel laureate looks to the future of spintronics