Spinplasmonics is a field of

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

combining

spintronics Spintronics (a portmanteau meaning spin transport electronics), also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-sta ...

and

plasmonics Plasmonics or nanoplasmonics refers to the generation, detection, and manipulation of signals at optical frequencies along metal-dielectric interfaces in the nanometer scale. Inspired by photonics, plasmonics follows the trend of miniaturizing opt ...

. The field was pioneered by Professor Abdulhakem Elezzabi at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In a simple spinplasmonic device, light waves couple to

electron spin In atomic physics, the electron magnetic moment, or more specifically the electron magnetic dipole moment, is the magnetic moment of an electron resulting from its intrinsic properties of spin (physics), spin and electric charge. The value of the ...

states in a metallic structure. The most elementary spinplasmonic device consists of a bilayer structure made from magnetic and nonmagnetic metals. It is the nanometer scale interface between such metals that gives rise to an electron spin phenomenon. The plasmonic current is generated by optical excitation and its properties are manipulated by applying a weak magnetic field. Electrons with a specific spin state can cross the interfacial barrier, but those with a different spin state are impeded. Essentially, switching operations are performed with the electrons spin and then sent out as a light signal. Spinplasmonic devices potentially have the advantages of high speed, miniaturization, low power consumption, and multifunctionality. On a length scale that is less than a single magnetic domain size, the interaction between atomic spins realigns the magnetic moments. Unlike semiconductor-based devices, smaller spinplasmonics devices are expected to be more efficient in transporting the spin-polarized electron current.

References

*A. Y. Elezzabi. (December 2007). "The dawn of spinplasmonics". ''Nano Today'' 2 (6), p. 48.

See also

References

Further reading