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Atomic-Scale Spintronics

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Handbook of Spintronics

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Abstract

The developments of novel spintronic materials and spin-based electronic devices are hot topics of current research in materials science and solid-state physics. Both research fields could profit tremendously from atomic-scale insight into magnetic properties and spin-dependent interactions at the atomic level. Based on the development of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM), the novel method of single-atom magnetometry has recently been established. It allows the measurement of magnetization curves and the determination of magnetic moments on an atom-by-atom basis. While the sensitivity level of single-atom magnetometry is below one Bohr magneton, it can easily be combined with the atomic-resolution imaging and manipulation capabilities of conventional STM, thereby offering a novel approach toward a rational material design based on the knowledge of the atomic-level properties and interactions within the solid state. Moreover, an atom-by-atom design and realization of all-spin logic devices has recently been demonstrated based on the combined knowledge derived from surface physics, nanoscience, and magnetism.

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Further Reading

  • Wiesendanger R (1994) Scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy: methods and applications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

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  • Wiesendanger R (1998) In: Wiesendanger R (ed) Analytical methods in scanning probe microscopy. Springer series in nano science and technology. Spin-Polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York, p 71

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft via SFB 668, from the EU via the ERC Advanced Grant FURORE, and from the Cluster of Excellence NANOSPINTRONICS, funded by the Forschungs- und Wissenschaftsstiftung Hamburg, is gratefully acknowledged. A. A. Khajetoorians acknowledges funding from the Emmy Noether Program DFG KH324/1-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Physics and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center Hamburg, University of Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 11, Hamburg, Germany

    Jens Brede, Bruno Chilian, Alexander Ako Khajetoorians, Jens Wiebe & Roland Wiesendanger

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  1. Jens Brede
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  2. Bruno Chilian
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  3. Alexander Ako Khajetoorians
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  4. Jens Wiebe
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  5. Roland Wiesendanger
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Correspondence to Jens Brede .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. York-Nanjing International Center of Spintronics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Yongbing Xu

  2. Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    David D. Awschalom

  3. Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Junsaku Nitta

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Brede, J., Chilian, B., Khajetoorians, A.A., Wiebe, J., Wiesendanger, R. (2016). Atomic-Scale Spintronics. In: Xu, Y., Awschalom, D., Nitta, J. (eds) Handbook of Spintronics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6892-5_30

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