Spinplasmonics is a field of

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

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-st ...

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 op ...

. The field was pioneered by Abdulhakem Elezzabi, a professor 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, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In a simple spinplasmonic device, light waves couple to

electron spin Spin is an intrinsic form of angular momentum carried by elementary particles, and thus by composite particles such as hadrons, atomic nuclei, and atoms. Spin is quantized, and accurate models for the interaction with spin require relativistic ...

states in a metallic structure. The most elementary spinplasmonic device consists of a bilayer structure made from

magnetic Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, m ...

and nonmagnetic metals. It is the

nanometer 330px, Different lengths as in respect to the Molecule">molecular scale. The nanometre (international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: nm), or nanometer (American spelling Despite the va ...

scale interface between such metals that gives rise to an

phenomenon. The plasmonic current is generated by optical excitation and its properties are manipulated by applying a weak magnetic field.

Electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...

s 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