Spintronics

SEM micrograph of a test device
(graphically manipulated)

The main motivation of spintronics is to exploit the spin degree of freedom of electrons in the elementary electronic devices.

As a first step towards realizing spintronics, researchers are trying to understand the physics of how to create a spin polarized electron beam, how to inject spin polarized electrons into semiconductors and then how to manipulate and detect them in a real electronic circuitry.

So far some success has been achieved in producing spin polarized electron beam but subsequent steps, such as injection of polarized electrons and detection methods etc., still remain unsettled. Many approaches for such devices have been proposed, our interest is in the experimental realization of a few of them.