TECHNOLOGY BRIEF

GRAPHENE-BASED SPINTRONIC NANO-DEVICES

For further information, contact Kimberley Elcess

Description: Spintronics is a field in which the spin of charge carriers is used in addition to their electrical charge to create small and energy efficient electronic devices. This invention relates to a series of spintronic devices that would utilize spin-polarized charge transport in graphene/antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic multilayers. Among the nano-devices proposed are electric current polarizers, spin inverters, and spintronic tunnel junctions, quantum interference devices, and transistors.

Technical Stage: This work is past the conceptual stage, and the principles are well supported by theory. Experiments involving collaboration among several Laboratory groups are well into the design stage.

Commercial Potential: Calls for smaller and faster electronic devices have been going out for many years as individual components reach ever smaller dimensions; spintronic devices are proposed as a next step technology. Products based on these spintronic devices may be applied first in very high end electronics for very fast, very small applications. If successful the markets size could be very large, possibly including a significant fraction of today’s microelectronics market.

Applications:

• Nanoscale spintronic devices including:
• Current polarizers
• Spin inverters
• Transistors

Inventors: Igor Zaliznyak, et al.

Patent Status: A U.S. Provisional Patent Application has been filed.

License Status: Available for research and commercial use; terms to be negotiated.