MINATEC

The aim of this PhD thesis is to study both experimentally and theoretically a new effect: the spin transfer torque in antiferromagnetic materials. Such a project is motivated by the theoretical prediction of the above phenomena in 2006 followed by the first experimental evidence in 2007. This might open doors to a spintronics only based on antiferromagnetic materials.

The aim of this PhD thesis is to study both experimentally and theoretically a new effect: the spin transfer torque in antiferromagnetic materials. Such a project is motivated by the theoretical prediction of the above phenomena in 2006 followed by the first experimental evidence in 2007. This might open doors to a spintronics only based on antiferromagnetic materials. With regards to the traditional spintronics based on the use of ferromagnetic materials, such a breakthrough would allow reducing the consumption of the concomitant nanodevices and getting rid of undesired magnetostatic coupling. Taking into account the knowledge and the know-how of the SPINTEC and CETHIL laboratories, the present subject interestingly stands at the boarder between two fields: nanomagnetism/spintronics and nanothermics. The student will be given the opportunity to manipulate numerous experimental techniques for samples preparation (growth, nanofabrication), for refine characterizations (structural, thermal, magnetic and electrical) and, in a second step, he may involve himself in the theoretical modelisation of the observed phenomenon.