Researchers take spintronics for a ride
In early May, researchers at Ohio State University combined traditional inorganic semiconductors with organic spintronics, in a device that they claimed to be the first of its kind. With the prototype, the researchers managed to incorporate an organic polymer into a GaA-based device. This was no easy task, in fact according to Dr Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, leader of the Ohio State team, “In order to build a practical spintronic device, you need a material that is both semiconducting and magnetic at room temperature. To my knowledge, [Ohio State professor Arthur Epstein’s] organic materials are the only ones that do that.”
The device was built more as a science experiment in order to examine the material’s fundamental spin physics. However, and most importantly to our fast moving industry, the hybrid spintronics/GaA technology opens the door for the development of devices that no other materials could currently achieve by themselves. This could lead to a whole array of new semiconductors with even higher performance, lower power consumption, and less heat dissipation.
In fact, this was the second announcement about breakthroughs in the field of spintronics in just the past couple weeks. On May 8, scientists at the US Naval Research lab announced that they had demonstrated practical spin accumulation techniques in silicon for higher temperatures, ranging between 200 degrees Celsius and 300 degrees Celsius. This would make it so spintronics could eventually become a viable technology in the demanding fields of commercial, industrial, and military applications.
At its core, spintronics basically involves using the electron’s spin in order to store information in contrast to traditional semiconductor-based electronics which use the electron’s charge. This technology has existed for some time (with the first of semiconductors for spintronics tracing back to 1990) and is now primarily found in the form of sensors, like the magnetic sensors found in traditional rotating disk hard drives. However, it’s now being thrust into the spotlight as many traditional charged-based ICs are having difficulties keeping up with Moore’s Law. In fact, continually shrinking semiconductor densities will eventually hit a wall, and sooner than expected, with some analysts believing that size decreases will reach their apex within the next five years. As a result, designers of future electronic systems will soon be looking for any number of alternatives to help them stay on track with Moore’s Law.
It is indeed probable that spintronics, or more specifically a hybrid of spintronics and traditional inorganic materials, will be one possible solution to solve the impending crunch. This is partially because the technology is already readily compatible with the existing fabrication technology. By getting the two to work together, designers could take advantage of the existing silicon-based infrastructure to begin manufacturing devices right away. Still, the largest remaining barrier is device fabrication. The more traditional inorganic chips are fabricated at high temperatures with harsh solvents and acids that the more brittle organics can’t endure. While considerable more research will need to be done to make such a device a viable alternative, the prototypes at least provide a practical foundation for a new generation of ICs that are even smaller, faster, more versatile, and far less power hungry than today’s standard silicon-based chips. It’s even possible that if a field like spintronics eventually becomes the mainstream in IC fabrication, Moore’s Law might even become obsolete, unable to keep pace with the shrinking ICs down to sizes once reserved for sensors or MEMS.
