Superconducting spintronics pave way for next-generation computing

A breakthrough for the field of Spintronics, a new type of technology which it is widely believed could be the basis of a future revolution in computing, has been announced by scientists in Cambridge. The results offer a glimpse into a future in which super-computing could be far more energy-efficient - Jason Robinson The research, reported , provides the first evidence that superconductors could be used as an energy-efficient source for so-called "spin-based" devices, which are already starting to appear in microelectronic circuits. Beyond these early developments, spin-based electronics (or "spintronics") promises the potential to create a new generation of super-fast computers, capable of processing vast amounts of data in an energy-efficient way. Unlike conventional electronic devices, which transmit information via the charge carried by an electron, spintronics exploits another fundamental property of that electron, called "spin". In simple terms, spin refers to the intrinsic angular momentum of the electron, and makes it behave like a tiny magnet. Spintronics involves manipulating this to perform logic operations in devices. There is, however, a catch: Any such device requires a large spin current to operate, which in itself requires the input of a large electrical charge.