Material Covers All the Bases for Spintronic Memories

Spintronics has had a great impact on our lives, most notably through the spin valves that revolutionized hard-disk technology. The next big thing could be a memory device in which a spin-polarized current switches the magnetization of a material through an effect known as spin transfer torque (STT). Such a memory could potentially achieve higher density, speed, and energy efficiency than current technologies. Researchers, however, are still in the process of vetting the most suitable materials for STT-based devices. Now Stephane Andrieu at the University of Lorraine in France and colleagues have carried out a comprehensive characterization of multilayers of cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni), showing that these structures possess all of the traits desired for practical use.