{"id":7788,"date":"2013-06-17T10:13:41","date_gmt":"2013-06-17T15:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=7788"},"modified":"2015-11-12T08:01:40","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T14:01:40","slug":"finding-the-fit-for-spintronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/finding-the-fit-for-spintronics\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding the fit for spintronics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
51ÁÔÆæ physicists Michael Weinert (left, standing) and Lian Li are lead authors on recently published research that reveals the unique electronic behaviors of a new kind of material that could be used for spintronics and quantum computing. (Photos by Troye Fox)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent research into the electronic properties of new materials, called topological insulators (TIs), shows that ultra-thin films of TI have promising characteristics to bring quantum computing one step closer to reality.<\/p>\n

An ongoing collaboration between physicists from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (51ÁÔÆæ) and the University of York, UK, is focused on probing, tailoring and tuning the electronic behaviors of TIs at nanoscale.<\/p>\n

In bulk these materials do, in fact, insulate. But on the surface, TIs are conductors. Like the efficient conductor graphene, the scientists are trying to determine the best way to control the electrons\u2019 movement and behavior in TIs \u2013 and integrate them with semiconductors and superconductors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Thin films of the topographical insulator Bi2Se3 are grown in Li\u2019s lab. Forming atom by atom, it grows in a triangular spiral shape.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe electrons on the surface of topographical insulators have some intriguing properties. It\u2019s very similar to graphene,\u201d says 51ÁÔÆæ Physics Professor Lian Li, principal investigator for the National Science Foundation grant supporting the research.<\/p>\n

These properties make TIs well suited for spintronics, an emerging field of nanoscale electronics that involve the manipulation of the electron spin as well as its charge.<\/p>\n

The scientists\u2019 recent work has shown that the quantum properties of the electrons are modified, but not destroyed by intrinsic imperfections, called grain boundaries, on the surface of ultra-thin layers of bismuth and selenium, Bi2<\/sub>Se3<\/sub>.<\/p>\n

The work was featured on the cover of a recent issue of the journal Physical Review Letters<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to understand how to engineer these defects so that we can control the electronic properties of TI if the dream of quantum computing is to become a reality,\u201d says Vlado Lazarov, a physicist at York.<\/p>\n

Spintronics take advantage of the fact that electrons have spin, and the orientation of the spin can be used to greatly speed data transfer and increase computing storage capacity \u2013 if the spins can be manipulated. The advantage in TIs is that the spin of the metallic surface states is \u201clocked\u201d perpendicular to the direction of the electron motion.<\/p>\n

The discovery of how these defects modify \u2013 but do not destroy \u2013 the special properties of the electrons at the surface of the TI is only a first step in uncovering the full story of the electron behaviors on such thin films, says Michael Weinert, 51ÁÔÆæ Distinguished Professor of Physics and director of the Laboratory for Surface Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of these properties for future electronic devices is that the resistance should be very low, making for energy-efficient devices,\u201d says Weinert. \u201cIf you can control the spin then you can create more complicated devices.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An ongoing collaboration between physicists from 51ÁÔÆæ and the University of York, UK, is focused on tuning the electronic behaviors of new materials called topological insulators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[175],"tags":[],"section":[140,139],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[158,161],"class_list":["post-7788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","section-science","section-science-technology","uwmnews-feed-letters-science","uwmnews-feed-hard-science"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding the fit for spintronics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An ongoing collaboration between physicists from 51ÁÔÆæ and the University of York, UK, is focused on tuning the electronic behaviors of new materials 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