Spintronic success

researchers have made the first confirmed "spintronic" device incorporating organic molecules, a potentially superior approach for electronics that rely on the spin of electrons.

According to a statement, the physicists created a nanoscale test structure to obtain evidence of the presence and action of specific molecules and magnetic switching behaviour.

Whereas conventional electronic devices depend on the movement of electrons and their charge, spintronics works with changes in magnetic orientation caused by changes in electron spin. Already used in read-heads for computer hard disks, spintronics can reportedly offer more desirable properties, such as higher speeds, smaller size, than conventional electronics.

Spintronic devices are usually made of inorganic materials. The use of organic molecules may be preferable, because electron spins can be preserved for longer time periods and distances, and because these molecules can be easily manipulated and self-assembled. However, until now, there has been no experimental confirmation of the presence of molecules in a spintronic structure. The new NIST results are expected to assist in the development of practical molecular spintronic devices.