Home > Press > New road towards spin-polarised currents
![]() |
Hafniumdiselenide is a quasi twodimensional material with interesting properties for spintronics. Here, its crystal structure is shown. CREDIT O. Clark/HZB |
Abstract:
The second half of the 20th century was the age of electronics, electronic devices became miniaturised and even more complex, creating problems by their energy consumption and waste heat. Spintronics promises to store or transport information based on spins alone, which would work faster with much less energy. Unfortunately it is still a challenge to control spin in a material by external fields reliably and at scale.
Quasi 2D-materials in the focus
The transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) series are the most intensely studied quasi two-dimensional materials beyond graphene, with charge density waves, superconductivity and non-trivial topological all commonplace across the material family. Hafnium diselenide (HfSe2) belongs to this class of materials. Now scientists at BESSY II have unveiled a new property of its electronic structure that could lead to a more convenient route to generate and control spin currents.
“In order to shift from electronics to spintronics, we have to find materials wherein spin up and spin down electrons behave differently”, first author Oliver Clark explains. There are two ways to do this, he points out: “We can either externally perturb the material so that electrons of different spins become functionally inequivalent, or we can use magnets where the electrons of opposite spins are functionally different intrinsically.” For the first method, the difficulty lies in finding suitable pairings of materials and mechanisms by which spin control can be externally imposed. For example, in the so-called 2H structured TMDs, one needs perfect single crystals and a circularly polarised light source. By contrast, the second method is much easier, but integrating magnets into devices is problematic for the operation of conventional electronic components, especially on small scales.
Linearly polarised light does do the trick
But between those two ways, a middle ground exists, at least for some select materials such as HfSe2:“If you probe this material with linearly-polarised light – which is easier to produce than circularly polarised light - the material acts as a magnet in terms of its spin-structure. So the spin-selectivity becomes very easy, but you do not have the problems associated with other magnetic properties”, Clark explains. The advantage: Crystal quality or orientation of the sample no longer matter.
This provides an entirely new route towards the generation of spin-polarised currents from transition metal dichalcogenides. The physicists are very excited about the implications of this work: “Our results are of relevance not only to physicists concerned with layered two-dimensional materials, but as well to specialists in spintronic and opto-spintronic device fabrication”, Clark hopes.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Antonia Roetger
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Office: 0049-308-062-43733
Copyright © Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Stability of perovskite solar cells reaches next milestone January 27th, 2023
Qubits on strong stimulants: Researchers find ways to improve the storage time of quantum information in a spin rich material January 27th, 2023
Temperature-sensing building material changes color to save energy January 27th, 2023
2 Dimensional Materials
Wafer-scale 2D MoTe₂ layers enable highly-sensitive broadband integrated infrared detector January 6th, 2023
Team undertakes study of two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenides Important biomedical application, including biosensing December 9th, 2022
Experimental nanosheet material marks a step toward the next generation of low-power, high-performance electronics December 9th, 2022
Possible Futures
Stability of perovskite solar cells reaches next milestone January 27th, 2023
Danish quantum physicists make nanoscopic advance of colossal significance January 27th, 2023
UC Irvine researchers decipher atomic-scale imperfections in lithium-ion batteries: Team used super high-resolution microscopy enhanced by deep machine learning January 27th, 2023
Spintronics
Linearly assembled Ag-Cu nanoclusters: Spin transfer and distance-dependent spin coupling November 4th, 2022
Spin photonics to move forward with new anapole probe November 4th, 2022
Novel nanowire fabrication technique paves way for next generation spintronics November 4th, 2022
“Kagome” metallic crystal adds new spin to electronics October 28th, 2022
Chip Technology
Manufacturing advances bring material back in vogue January 20th, 2023
Vertical electrochemical transistor pushes wearable electronics forward: Biomedical sensing is one application of efficient, low-cost transistors January 20th, 2023
Approaching the terahertz regime: Room temperature quantum magnets switch states trillions of times per second January 20th, 2023
Quantum Computing
Qubits on strong stimulants: Researchers find ways to improve the storage time of quantum information in a spin rich material January 27th, 2023
Danish quantum physicists make nanoscopic advance of colossal significance January 27th, 2023
Optical computing/Photonic computing
Manufacturing advances bring material back in vogue January 20th, 2023
New X-ray imaging technique to study the transient phases of quantum materials December 29th, 2022
Experimental nanosheet material marks a step toward the next generation of low-power, high-performance electronics December 9th, 2022
An on-chip time-lens generates ultrafast pulses: New device opens the doors to applications in communication, quantum computing, astronomy November 18th, 2022
Discoveries
Stability of perovskite solar cells reaches next milestone January 27th, 2023
Qubits on strong stimulants: Researchers find ways to improve the storage time of quantum information in a spin rich material January 27th, 2023
Temperature-sensing building material changes color to save energy January 27th, 2023
Announcements
Temperature-sensing building material changes color to save energy January 27th, 2023
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Qubits on strong stimulants: Researchers find ways to improve the storage time of quantum information in a spin rich material January 27th, 2023
Temperature-sensing building material changes color to save energy January 27th, 2023
Danish quantum physicists make nanoscopic advance of colossal significance January 27th, 2023
Photonics/Optics/Lasers
Manufacturing advances bring material back in vogue January 20th, 2023
Researchers demonstrate co-propagation of quantum and classical signals: Study shows that quantum encryption can be implemented in existing fiber networks January 20th, 2023
Experimental nanosheet material marks a step toward the next generation of low-power, high-performance electronics December 9th, 2022
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
![]() |
![]() |
||
Premium Products | ||
![]() |
||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
![]() |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
![]() |