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10 Spintronics Applications
in the range 20–50 nm. If the device considered length scale is smaller than the spin
diffusion length, the electron spin is preserved. If the length scale is much smaller
than the mean free path of the electrons then the electron momentum is also preserved
during transport (ballistic regime).
10.2 Historical Advancement and Development
of Spintronic Devices
Spintronics started its journey after the discovery of giant magnetoresistance in 1988.
Within 10 years of this discovery, the industry enjoyed the benefit by implementing
into hard disk drives, the most common storage media. Such fast development is really
remarkable in any scientific field. Spintronics research is now moving into secondgeneration spin dynamics and beyond. In this section, we mention the historical
advances in spintronics device applications together with the background physics
(see Table 10.1).
Some important breakthroughs in the field of spintronics development are given
below:
• In the year 1988, the phenomenon of Giant Magneto Resistive Effect has been
discovered by Albert Fert in France and Peter Gruenberg in Germany.
• In the year 1990, an entirely new concept comes into the scenario to attain desired
spin manipulation in semiconductor device, as published by Datta and Das and
named Spin Field-Effect Transistor (spin FET).
• In 1996, ulltrafast control of the electron spin with the help of ultrashort light
pulses emerged as one of the hottest topics of the fundamental magnetism and
generated significant interest in the area of information technology. This has given
the birth of optospintronics and femtomagnetism.
• In the year 1997—first GMR hard disk head was introduced by IBM.
• The year 2002, a novel device has been realized utilizing the spin polarization of
an electron to decide the switching of the device.
• In the year 2004, the University of Utah in the USA fabricated the first organic
‘spin valve’.
• In the year 2006, room temperature spin Hall effect was detected.
• In the year 2009, spin battery and magnetic super atom have been exhibited.
• In the year 2011, development of room temperature spintronics transistors
has taken place. Discovery of a spin-valve-like magneto-resistance of an
antiferromagnet-based tunnel junction was also observed.
• In 2013, the room temperature tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistances have
been realized in antiferromagnetic material.
• The year 2014 witnessed the emergence of a room temperature antiferromagnetic
memory resistor.
• The year 2016 observed the reversible electrical switching in antiferromagnets.
In 2016, Everspin started shipping 256 Mb ST-MRAM samples to customer.
10 Spintronics Applications
in the range 20–50 nm. If the device considered length scale is smaller than the spin
diffusion length, the electron spin is preserved. If the length scale is much smaller
than the mean free path of the electrons then the electron momentum is also preserved
during transport (ballistic regime).
10.2 Historical Advancement and Development
of Spintronic Devices
Spintronics started its journey after the discovery of giant magnetoresistance in 1988.
Within 10 years of this discovery, the industry enjoyed the benefit by implementing
into hard disk drives, the most common storage media. Such fast development is really
remarkable in any scientific field. Spintronics research is now moving into secondgeneration spin dynamics and beyond. In this section, we mention the historical
advances in spintronics device applications together with the background physics
(see Table 10.1).
Some important breakthroughs in the field of spintronics development are given
below:
• In the year 1988, the phenomenon of Giant Magneto Resistive Effect has been
discovered by Albert Fert in France and Peter Gruenberg in Germany.
• In the year 1990, an entirely new concept comes into the scenario to attain desired
spin manipulation in semiconductor device, as published by Datta and Das and
named Spin Field-Effect Transistor (spin FET).
• In 1996, ulltrafast control of the electron spin with the help of ultrashort light
pulses emerged as one of the hottest topics of the fundamental magnetism and
generated significant interest in the area of information technology. This has given
the birth of optospintronics and femtomagnetism.
• In the year 1997—first GMR hard disk head was introduced by IBM.
• The year 2002, a novel device has been realized utilizing the spin polarization of
an electron to decide the switching of the device.
• In the year 2004, the University of Utah in the USA fabricated the first organic
‘spin valve’.
• In the year 2006, room temperature spin Hall effect was detected.
• In the year 2009, spin battery and magnetic super atom have been exhibited.
• In the year 2011, development of room temperature spintronics transistors
has taken place. Discovery of a spin-valve-like magneto-resistance of an
antiferromagnet-based tunnel junction was also observed.
• In 2013, the room temperature tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistances have
been realized in antiferromagnetic material.
• The year 2014 witnessed the emergence of a room temperature antiferromagnetic
memory resistor.
• The year 2016 observed the reversible electrical switching in antiferromagnets.
In 2016, Everspin started shipping 256 Mb ST-MRAM samples to customer.