Spin-Orbitronics a Novel Trend in Spin Oriented Electronics

Abstract

Introduction. The advent of spin oriented electronics, or spintronics, in the late 1980ies has not only revolutionised the very idea of contemporary electronics but has also brought about a major technological breakthrough in the field of information storage and processing. Further progress is associated with the rapidly emerging field of spinorbitronics seeking to put to maximum use the SOC (Spin-Orbit Coupling) related phenomena.Aim. The purpose of this review paper is to outline the major trends in the dynamically developing field of spinorbitronics in the context of evolution of the mainstream spintronics. SOC related effects open up the possibility of creation of a new generation of energy saving devices, a key challenge in electronics in general.Materials and methods. A special effort has been undertaken to make the article appealing to the general reader, especially to specialists in the field of radioelectronics and data processing. To this end, in the description of the complex physics underlying magnetic interactions preference is given to simple term "naive" interpretations.Results. Apart from the analysis of the fundamental features peculiar to the interfaces between ultrathin films of ferromagnetic and heavy metals and related to strong SOC, we discuss specific configurations especially promising for application-oriented research. Among others, these include spin torque microwave (1...50 GHz) oscillators, fast domain walls in racetrack memory and especially magnetic skyrmions.Conclusion. Publication of this paper will facilitate creative interaction between the fundamental and applied research, thus contributing to the development of novel high-performance spintronic devices.

Keywords

• spintronics
• spinorbitronics
• skyrmion
• spin-orbit coupling
• spin currents
• magnetic memory