Title: Spintronic Materials and Devices

　　Speaker: Professor Yongbing Xu（The University of York, UK）

　　Time: 10:00(AM), Apr. 20, 2010

　　Venue: Academic Salon, Institute of Semiconductors, CAS

　　Abstract: While the first generation spintronics largely based on the metallic systems, such as GMR heads (Nobel Prize in Physics 2007) sharply increased magnetic storage density, it is the 2nd generation spintronics, integrating magnetic materials with semiconductors, that has the potential to extend the benefits of spin to the wider IT industry, which may bring in an impact comparable with the development of the transistors more than 50 years ago. One of the major challenges in developing this second generation of spintronic devices is the synthesis of high quality spintronic materials with Curie temperatures that are above room temperature, large spin polarisation at the Fermi level and matched conductivity between the magnetic material and semiconductor. In this seminar, I will first present the growth, interface magnetism and magneto-transport studies of several important magnetic/semiconductor hybrid spintronic structures. Along with the development of materials, I will also talk about our research in current induced switching and electron transport measurements in patterned magnetic nanowires.