Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MagnEFi (Magnetism and the effects of Electric Field)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2019-10-01 al 2021-09-30
In this project, European experts have assembled to provide enhanced training and education to early stage researchers on the topic of electric field effects on nanoscale magnetic structures and to make a scientific impact in terms of the design and performance of multi-functional spintronics devices. Research in this area is expected ultimately to lead to ultralow power devices for computation and communication with new functionalities.
The consortium provides a rich training environment where the PhD candidates will study at the cutting edge of science and technology, and also come to appreciate the breadth of the field in terms of its intellectual challenges, commercial concerns and relationship to society’s need for ever more powerful information technologies with a reduced environmental footprint.
The consortium provides a rich training environment where the PhD candidates will study at the cutting edge of science and technology, and also come to appreciate the breadth of the field in terms of its intellectual challenges, commercial concerns and relationship to society’s need for ever more powerful information technologies with a reduced environmental footprint.
Despite the delays due to the Covid pandemic MagnEFi has adapted to deliver its training and scientific objectives. MagnEFi's entire on-line training program has been completed, together with additional training events proposed by the ESRs. The scientific activity also moves steadily towards our objectives. Materials have been grown and characterised for all the three control schemes (light, gate, light). Magneto-ionic gating has been successfully achieved in a variety of materials and device structures while strain control of the magnetic response has shown positive results with different strain configurations in theory and experiments. Within the light scheme great progress has been made to optimise the energy efficiency of all optical switching and its integration into photonic circuits. Different strategies are currently in progress to achieve integration of the different schemes into multifunctional devices.
The magnetic properties of nanoscale magnetic structures with at least one dimension at the nanometre level, such as ultrathin magnetic metal films (2D), strips (1D) and islands (quasi-0D) are conventionally manipulated by magnetic fields and electric currents. Much is now known about the magnetization reversal of such structures driven by magnetic field- and current-induced torques, and how it may be exploited in magnetic data storage technology or magnetic field sensors. While nanomagnetic devices have the advantages of retaining memory in the off-state and being insensitive to radiation, making technology such as Magnetic Random Access Memories (MRAM) competitive in niche markets, the main obstacle to a more widespread implementation is the large power density, as well as just overall power, required for the magnetization reversal and the subsequent incompatibility with device architectures, and associated energy wastage. In order to create more efficient devices, researchers over the last few years have begun to investigate the effect of E-fields on
nanomagnetic structures, with pioneering studies predicting that in combination with a low level of conventional stimulus (magnetic field or electric current), or even using E-fields alone, the reversal of magnetization may be achieved at low power. This has led to spintronic circuits containing magnetic materials modified by E-fields becoming competitive with contemporary electronic integrated circuits (ICs) in terms of their switching energy, and being better in terms of implementing complex logic functions with smaller numbers of elements. The key factor towards making technologies based on nanomagnetic structures competitive with CMOS and other approaches is thus to enhance and diversify the E-field control of magnetism.
This project explores a variety of ways of applying E-fields to nanomagnetic structures using strain, gating and light, and also combines them into integrative devices. These three approaches are at different levels of research and development: Strain is most developed and spintronic circuits in this area have been benchmarked against rival beyond-CMOS technologies, while Gating is beginning to spark interest in industry, and Light is still at the stage of fundamental physics exploration. One of the strong points of this network is bringing these three approaches together which will produce novel multifunctional S+G, S+L and G+L devices. We expect that combining E-field effects will reveal more new physics as well as promising device concepts.
Within this exciting scientific framework, our project will enhance the career prospects of its ESRs through a uniquely cross-linked and research-focused training programme. The intertwining of three scientific approaches to applying E-fields to nanomagnetic structures will produce young researchers with a breadth of expertise that will be vital to sustaining the research and development of electronics for GreenIT in the EU in the future
nanomagnetic structures, with pioneering studies predicting that in combination with a low level of conventional stimulus (magnetic field or electric current), or even using E-fields alone, the reversal of magnetization may be achieved at low power. This has led to spintronic circuits containing magnetic materials modified by E-fields becoming competitive with contemporary electronic integrated circuits (ICs) in terms of their switching energy, and being better in terms of implementing complex logic functions with smaller numbers of elements. The key factor towards making technologies based on nanomagnetic structures competitive with CMOS and other approaches is thus to enhance and diversify the E-field control of magnetism.
This project explores a variety of ways of applying E-fields to nanomagnetic structures using strain, gating and light, and also combines them into integrative devices. These three approaches are at different levels of research and development: Strain is most developed and spintronic circuits in this area have been benchmarked against rival beyond-CMOS technologies, while Gating is beginning to spark interest in industry, and Light is still at the stage of fundamental physics exploration. One of the strong points of this network is bringing these three approaches together which will produce novel multifunctional S+G, S+L and G+L devices. We expect that combining E-field effects will reveal more new physics as well as promising device concepts.
Within this exciting scientific framework, our project will enhance the career prospects of its ESRs through a uniquely cross-linked and research-focused training programme. The intertwining of three scientific approaches to applying E-fields to nanomagnetic structures will produce young researchers with a breadth of expertise that will be vital to sustaining the research and development of electronics for GreenIT in the EU in the future