Spintronics

Work Package 2

The mission of the Graphene Flagship’s Spintronics Work Package is to explore the potential of graphene and layered materials for applications in spintronics: the transfer, processing and storage of information based on the spin degree of freedom of electrons in the material.

Objectives

Our first objective is to determine how to improve the performance of magnetic tunnel junctions: two layers of metallic material that allow electrons to pass between them when a voltage is applied, enabling data transfer, using a combination of magnetic materials and graphene and layered materials. This is crucial for the development of new magnetic randomaccess memory (RAM) technology for data storage and computer processing.

Our second objective is to find the upper limit for spin-to-charge conversion mechanisms, such as the spin Hall effect, to generate pure spin currents in graphene. Harnessing the potential of this phenomenon could lead to a new wave of enhanced magnetic RAM devices and open the door to ultra-low energy consumption computing, meaning that our data centres, mobile devices and interconnected electronics could become more sustainable and significantly cheaper to power.

Furthermore, we are continually evaluating the potential of new and emerging layered materials to further advance ultracompact spin-based technologies