MINA-NEWS
An inside look at spin transfer
How does an electric current reverse the magnetic poles of a perpendicular ferromagnetic material? Two INAC labs, working with the Institut d’Électronique fondamentale d’Orsay, have set out to answer that question. Their study is of great interest for spintronics, since it is the reversal of magnetic poles that makes writing or deleting information possible. Their findings indicate that the phenomenon is not due to the heat generated by the current, but rather to spin transfer. In other words, the phenomenon is caused by the momentum generated when electrons move from one magnetic pole to the other. Research is ongoing, and the team is now studying a variety of test conditions (e.g., no magnetic field, a pulsating direct current, and a direct current) to deepen their understanding of the phenomenon.
Contact: jean-philippe.attane@cea.fr
