1 - The fundamental aspects of spintronics

Abstract

Spintronics, or spin electronics, involve the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. Electrons have a charge and spin associated with them. While the conventional semiconductor electronics make use of the charge, property of the electron only, the spintronic devices make use of the spin property of an electron. The use of magnetic materials in spintronic devices helps in storing information, to provide nonvolatility and an endurance that is unmatched by other memory technologies such as resistive or phase-change memory. Making use of the spin nature of electrons provides new and effective ways to control the motion of electrons, which helps in writing and reading information. As a result, these memory devices have a huge potential. The aim of this chapter is about the fundamental aspects of the spintronics: spin coherence, spin entanglement, generation of carrier-spin polarization, control spin and charge dynamics, spin injection, spin-polarized transport, etc.