Newly Developed Alternative to Semiconductors Could Store More Data Faster and More Efficiently Leading to Next Generation of Electronics

Researchers at Ohio State have demonstrated the first plastic computer memory device that utilizes the spin of electrons to read and write data.  An alternative to traditional microelectronics, so-called “spintronics” could store more data in less space, process data faster, and consume less power.

Arthur J. Epstein, distinguished professor of physics and chemistry and the director of the Institute for Magnetic and Electronic Polymers, and colleagues have created a prototype plastic spintronic device using techniques found in the mainstream computer industry today.

At this point, the device is little more than a thin strip of dark blue organic-based magnet layered with a metallic ferromagnet and connected to two electrical leads; still researchers successfully recorded data on it and retrieved the data by controlling the spins of the electrons with a magnetic field.

Epstein describes the material as a hybrid of a semiconductor that is made from organic materials and a special magnetic polymer semiconductor. As such, it is a bridge between today’s computers and the all-polymer, spintronic computers that he and his partners hope to enable in the future.

Researchers believe if this technology can be refined, computers could store and transfer significantly more data than current technologies allow.  But higher data density is only part of the story.

“Spintronics is often just seen as a way to get more information out of an electron, but really it’s about moving to the next generation of electronics,” Epstein said.

For the full story, see the release from Ohio State