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Article

Title: Nanomagnets tapped to generate microwave fields

Author: Brown, Chappell Article Type: Product Analysis
Source: Electronic Engineering Times, n1322 p53(1) Publication Date: May 24, 2004
  ISSN: 0192-1541
  Illustrations: Charts
URL of Publication: http://www.eet.com

At Cornell University, researchers are experimenting with a new form of electromagnetic interaction in which electron spin alters the magnetic direction of cobalt nanomagnets that could be used in new types of memory and signal-processing devices. Experimentation has demonstrated that the impact of spin-polarized electrons makes the nanomagnets precess at high speed so that a direct current can produce microwave-frequency oscillations. The effect could be of use in creation of wireless communications between layers in an integrated circuit. Daniel Ralph, project leader, says the researchers are at approximately 100 nanometers with the devices, which is the same ballpark with silicon development. In earlier work, the Cornell groups had to use features as tiny as 10nm to create the effect, but a new architecture has allowed definition of magnets with masks and conventional deposition processes. The result could be a terabit nonvolatile-memory technology that could be propelled by electric currents instead of switched with magnetic fields. Ralph says the group is working toward obtaining the right impedances and a sufficiently low current to make the device competitive with work by Motorola with magnetic-driven nonvolatile RAM. Recently, the Cornell scientists were able to lower the current by four orders of magnitude, which they think is competitive.

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