Spintronic Thermal Management

Abstract

In spin caloritronics, a branch of spintronics, the spin degree of freedom is exploited for thermoelectric conversion and thermal transport. Since the inception of spin caloritronics, many experimental and theoretical studies have focused on clarifying the fundamental physics of the heat-to-spin and heat-to-charge current conversion phenomena in magnetic materials and magnetic hybrid structures, such as the spin Seebeck and anomalous Nernst effects. While research on these phenomena is progressing, there are also many spin-caloritronic phenomena that output heat currents. The observations of such phenomena have recently been accomplished through cutting-edge heat detection techniques. The recent developments in spin caloritronics have revealed that the generation, conversion, and transport of heat can be actively controlled by spins and/or magnetism. In this review article, we propose a new concept called spintronic thermal management. With proof-of-concept demonstrations, we introduce the basic principles, behaviors, measurement methods, and heat control functionalities of spin-caloritronic phenomena and discuss potential applications of spintronic thermal management.