Spintronics

Ian Appelbaum, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Delaware, is leading pioneering research into a next-generation electronics technology known as spintronics.  This emerging field focuses on harnessing the magnet-like spin property of electrons to drive electronics—everything ranging from computers to cell phones—that are faster, yet use less energy than today's power-hogging devices.

The university research group made international headlines as the first to demonstrate spin transport in silicon using a novel hot-electron detection technique. Appelbaum's research group then showed how their device design could be used as a spin field-effect transistor and more recently showed that an electron's spin can be transported a marathon distance in the world of microelectronics – through a 350-micron-thick silicon wafer. Appelbaum and his group will continue to explore the fundamental development of the silicon chips, transistors and integrated circuits required for a potential new industry.

Credit: University of Delaware