
**Computational studies of spintronics materials for energy-efficient
electronic devices**
Jagoda Sławinska
Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (RUG)
Materials that manifest intriguing spin-orbit-related phenomena emerge as
promising candidates for the design of alternative computing devices beyond
the von Neumann paradigm. In particular, the manipulation of spins via the
control of material symmetries seems to be an efficient way to ensure the all-
electric functioning of next-generation electronic devices, reducing power
consumption.
In this talk, I will present the properties of several recently
(re-)discovered materials as well as different routes of the control of spins.
First, I will discuss a new type of charge-to-spin conversion revealed in
chiral crystals, which is similar to chirality-induced spin selectivity
occurring in molecules. This effect can manifest in chiral trigonal Te and
TaSi2, where along with good efficiency of charge-to-spin conversion, the
presence of the so-called persistent spin helix yields very long spin
lifetimes, protecting the spins from the randomization. Such systems solve one
of the important trade-offs of spintronic devices, as the large spin-orbit
coupling needed for spin manipulation, does not cause spin dephasing.
Second, I will discuss the link between spin and electric polarization in
ferroelectrics which can be employed in novel reconfigurable logic-in-memory
units utilizing ferroelectric writing and spin-orbit readout, similarly to
multiferroics. In particular, the spin-to-charge conversion in epitaxial
Fe/GeTe heterostructures can be switched by an external electric field in a
non-volatile way at room temperature, as shown via spin pumping experiments
and rationalized by first-principles calculations. The most recent
computational studies unveiled the possibility of non-volatile electric
control of spin currents in various materials, opening new routes for the
design of logic-in-memory electronic devices.
[1] A. Roy, M. Guimarães, J. Sławińska, Physical Review Materials 6, 045004
(2022)
[2] A. Roy, F. Cerasoli, A. Jayaraj, K. Tenzin, M. Buongiorno Nardelli, J.
Sławińska, arXiv: 2203.05518 (2022)
[3] H. Wang, P. Gopal, S. Picozzi, S. Curtarolo, M. Buongiorno Nardelli, J.
Sławińska, npj Computational Materials 6 (7), 1-7 (2020)
[4] S. Varotto, L. Nessi, S. Cecchi, J. Sławińska, et al., Nature
Electronics 4, 740–747 (2021)
**Host:** L. Hueso