Toward a more energy-efficient spintronics

( Top ) Example of the system developed: a ferromagnetic material that can generate a spin current and inject it into an interface material, in which it is converted into a charge current. Traditionally, in order to change the sign of the charge current produced, the magnetization of the ferromagnetic material must be reversed by applying a magnetic field or a powerful current. Here this is produced by reversing the polarisation of the ferroelectric material using an electric field. Bottom ) Experimental curve showing the evolution of the charge produced as a function of the voltage applied to the ferroelectric material. CNRS/Thales and Spintec (CNRS/CEA/Université Grenoble Alpes). Electron spin-a fundamentally quantum property-is central to spintronics, a technology that revolutionized data storage, 1 and that could play a major role in creating new computer processors. In order to generate and detect spin currents, spintronics traditionally uses ferromagnetic materials whose magnetization switching consume high amounts of energy.