Spintronics
In the wake of major scientific revolutions, an emerging approach is already reshaping the horizon of our computers, sensors, and connected devices. Promising both efficiency and energy frugality, it is paving the way for major innovations in industry and research: spintronics
Why is spintronics important?
Conventional electronics, which relies solely on the charge of electrons, is now reaching its limits: extreme miniaturization of components, rising energy consumption, and increasing difficulty in meeting the demands of tomorrow’s digital world.
By harnessing spintronics, we can pave the way toward more efficient and sustainable electronics:
Preparing future technologies, in connection with quantum computing and the growing needs of artificial intelligence, for example
Reducing the energy consumption of electronic components, a major challenge in the face of exploding data volumes and environmental imperatives.
Increasing the speed and capacity of devices, through the development of faster and more stable memories (such as MRAM).
Creating new functionalities for electronics, ranging from ultrasensitive sensors to brain-inspired (neuromorphic) architectures.
For which devices and sectors?
Spintronics is already used in several digital devices, most notably magnetic field sensors, which are widely deployed in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, robotics, biotechnology, and biomedical engineering.
Ongoing research advances will further extend these applications to other strategic domains, including in-memory computing, cybersecurity, telecommunications, data centers, and artificial intelligence.
In concrete terms, how does spintronics work?
As a reminder, in traditional electronics, only the electric charge of electrons is used to carry current and process information. Spintronics adds an additional dimension: the spin of electrons.
Spin can be thought of as a tiny compass attached to each electron. Depending on its orientation (“up” or “down”), it defines a magnetic state. By controlling this spin, information can be encoded and manipulated—much like with charge, but in a far richer way.
In practice, spintronics relies on three main steps
1. Generating spin-polarised electrons
→ a current is passed through a magnetic material that preferentially aligns the spins in one direction
2. Manipulating spin
→ Thanks to magnetic fields, electric currents, or even quantum effects (such as the spin-orbit effect), it is possible to change the orientation of spins.
3. Detecting spin
→ We measure electrical resistance or other signals that vary depending on the spin orientation, which allows us to read the information.
