Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties. Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.

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Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications

Recent research activities on the linear magnetoelectric (ME) effect?induction of magnetization by an electric field or of polarization by a magnetic field?are reviewed. Beginning with a brief summary of the history of the ME effect since its prediction in 1894, the paper focuses on the present revival of the effect. Two major sources for 'large' ME effects are identified. (i) In composite materials the ME effect is generated as a product property of a magnetostrictive and a piezoelectric compound. A linear ME polarization is induced by a weak ac magnetic field oscillating in the presence of a strong dc bias field. The ME effect is large if the ME coefficient coupling the magnetic and electric fields is large. Experiments on sintered granular composites and on laminated layers of the constituents as well as theories on the interaction between the constituents are described. In the vicinity of electromechanical resonances a ME voltage coefficient of up to 90?V?cm?1?Oe?1 is achieved, which exceeds the ME response of single-phase compounds by 3?5 orders of magnitude. Microwave devices, sensors, transducers and heterogeneous read/write devices are among the suggested technical implementations of the composite ME effect. (ii) In multiferroics the internal magnetic and/or electric fields are enhanced by the presence of multiple long-range ordering. The ME effect is strong enough to trigger magnetic or electrical phase transitions. ME effects in multiferroics are thus 'large' if the corresponding contribution to the free energy is large. Clamped ME switching of electrical and magnetic domains, ferroelectric reorientation induced by applied magnetic fields and induction of ferromagnetic ordering in applied electric fields were observed. Mechanisms favouring multiferroicity are summarized, and multiferroics in reduced dimensions are discussed. In addition to composites and multiferroics, novel and exotic manifestations of ME behaviour are investigated. This includes (i) optical second harmonic generation as a tool to study magnetic, electrical and ME properties in one setup and with access to domain structures; (ii) ME effects in colossal magnetoresistive manganites, superconductors and phosphates of the LiMPO4 type; (iii) the concept of the toroidal moment as manifestation of a ME dipole moment; (iv) pronounced ME effects in photonic crystals with a possibility of electromagnetic unidirectionality. The review concludes with a summary and an outlook to the future development of magnetoelectrics research.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0022-3727/38/8/R01/pdf

Revival of the Magnetoelectric Effect

This review summarizes recent developments in the theory of spin glasses, as well as pertinent experimental data. The most characteristic properties of spin glass systems are described, and related phenomena in other glassy systems (dielectric and orientational glasses) are mentioned. The Edwards-Anderson model of spin glasses and its treatment within the replica method and mean-field theory are outlined, and concepts such as "frustration," "broken replica symmetry," "broken ergodicity," etc., are discussed. The dynamic approach to describing the spin glass transition is emphasized. Monte Carlo simulations of spin glasses and the insight gained by them are described. Other topics discussed include site-disorder models, phenomenological theories for the frozen phase and its excitations, phase diagrams in which spin glass order and ferromagnetism or antiferromagnetism compete, the Ne\'el model of superparamagnetism and related approaches, and possible connections between spin glasses and other topics in the theory of disordered condensed-matter systems.

Spin glasses: Experimental facts, theoretical concepts, and open questions

Magnetism and ferroelectricity are essential to many forms of current technology, and the quest for multiferroic materials, where these two phenomena are intimately coupled, is of great technological and fundamental importance. Ferroelectricity and magnetism tend to be mutually exclusive and interact weakly with each other when they coexist. The exciting new development is the discovery that even a weak magnetoelectric interaction can lead to spectacular cross-coupling effects when it induces electric polarization in a magnetically ordered state. Such magnetic ferroelectricity, showing an unprecedented sensitivity to ap plied magnetic fields, occurs in 'frustrated magnets' with competing interactions between spins and complex magnetic orders. We summarize key experimental findings and the current theoretical understanding of these phenomena, which have great potential for tuneable multifunctional devices.

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Multiferroics: a magnetic twist for ferroelectricity

Multiferroic materials, which show simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, exhibit unusual physical properties — and in turn promise new device applications — as a result of the coupling between their dual order parameters. We review recent progress in the growth, characterization and understanding of thin-film multiferroics. The availability of high-quality thin-film multiferroics makes it easier to tailor their properties through epitaxial strain, atomic-level engineering of chemistry and interfacial coupling, and is a prerequisite for their incorporation into practical devices. We discuss novel device paradigms based on magnetoelectric coupling, and outline the key scientific challenges in the field.

Multiferroics: progress and prospects in thin films.

A theory of anisotropic superexchange interaction is developed by extending the Anderson theory of superexchange to include spin-orbit coupling. The antisymmetric spin coupling suggested by Dzialoshinski from purely symmetry grounds and the symmetric pseudodipolar interaction are derived. Their orders of magnitudes are estimated to be ($\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}g}{g}$) and ${(\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}g}{g})}^{2}$ times the isotropic superexchange energy, respectively. Higher order spin couplings are also discussed. As an example of antisymmetric spin coupling the case of Cu${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}2${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O is illustrated. In Cu${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}2${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O, a spin arrangement which is different from one accepted so far is proposed. This antisymmetric interaction is shown to be responsible for weak ferromagnetism in $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, MnC${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, and Cr${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$. The paramagnetic susceptibility perpendicular to the trigonal axis is expected to increase very sharply near the N\'eel temperature as the temperature is lowered, as was actually observed in Cr${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$.

Anisotropic Superexchange Interaction and Weak Ferromagnetism

A general theory of spin fluctuations and thermodynamical properties of itinerant electron magnets is developed, interpolating between the weakly and strongly ferromagnetic limits. A unified expression is given for the Curie temperature and the physical meaning of the Curie-Weiss magnetic susceptibility is discussed. As new phenomena derived from this theory the temperature-induced local magnetic moments as observed in CoS2, CoSe2, etc. and peculiar magnetic and thermal properties of nearly ferromagnetic semiconductors such as FeSi are discussed.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/jpa-00218080/document

Spin Fluctuations in Itinerant Electron Magnetism

Spin fluctuations in itinerant electron magnetism

New Mechanism of Anisotropic Superexchange Interaction

Spin fluctuations in heavy electron systems around their antiferromagnetic instability are discussed from a phenomenological point of view by using a sum rule for the dynamical susceptibility valid in the strong correlation limit. As a result the dynamical susceptibility takes the same form as in the standard spin fluctuation theory of weak itinerant antiferromagnetism, although the values for the parameters are substantially different from those in d-metals. The expression for the Neel temperature given in terms of the staggered magnetization at 0 K and the spin fluctuation parameters are successfully compared with experiment. Anomalous (non-Fermi liquid) behaviors reported for the specific heat and electrical resistivity in some heavy electron systems around their magnetic instabilities are explained in terms of this theory.

Tôru Moriya

Papers

Anisotropic Superexchange Interaction and Weak Ferromagnetism

Spin Fluctuations in Itinerant Electron Magnetism

Spin fluctuations in itinerant electron magnetism

New Mechanism of Anisotropic Superexchange Interaction

Anomalous Properties around Magnetic Instability in Heavy Electron Systems