Atomic-Scale Spintronics

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.

Molecular Spins in the Context of Quantum Technologies

“…The use of scanning probe microscopes, more specifically tunneling tips, holds much promise for their potentialities to localize, move and read out single magnetic atoms and molecules [40]. With respect to bare magnetic atoms, the presence of an organic ligand seems to delocalize the magnetic features of the molecule [41] and data interpretation is still under debate.…”