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Electron gases for magnetization control


​​​​​New generations of memories are developed for logic and artificial intelligence devices with very low energy consumption. This responds to environmental concerns, and to the fact that the energy consumption of chips and the resulting overheating limits their performance. One possible approach is to develop spintronic devices that use currents to control the direction of magnetization. Researchers at IRIG have demonstrated that two-dimensional electron gases can provide this control with new functionalities.
Published on 7 September 2023

Researchers at IRIG have used Ta/CoFeB/MgO thin-film stacks possessing a two-dimensional electron gas, which offer key advantages for integration into spintronic technologies. The conductivity of the electron gas can be modulated using an electric field applied across the SrTiO3​ substrate, with two switchable and remanent high- and low-resistivity states of the device. The resistance contrast is over 1000%. Researchers then measured the spin-orbit torques acting on magnetization in the Hall cross, and found that the effects on magnetization are different for the high- and low-resistivity states.

This non-volatile electrical control has the potential to create a new generation of devices for memory and logic applications, and for artificial intelligence.


​Scanning microscopy  image : Hall cross nanostructure used for measurements. Branch widths range from 200 nm to 2 µm. Credit CEA​

Fundings: ANR Contrabass, Institut Universitaire de France, ERC Fresco, European projects FET-OPEN Tocha and ITN Spear, and Upstream Technological Platform​ PTA.​

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