Spintronics to Improve Efficiency of Electronic Devices

(University of Fribourg, June 19, 2013)

Physicists at the University of Freiburg and the Queen Mary University of London have advanced the understanding of organic semiconductors, which may help create more efficient electronic devices. The current race towards electronic miniaturization is reaching a limit due to current techniques and concepts based on the electric charge of the electron. Spin-based electronics, or "spintronics", may open up new opportunities. Spin is a quantum property of a particle and spin consistency is important when designing electronic equipment to store or process information. As published in Physical Review Letters, the researchers identified the key role of spin-orbit interaction and ways of improving spin control that could help produce less energy-demanding portable devices with lower manufacturing costs and improved mechanical properties.