Nowadays, information technology is based on semiconductor and ferromagnetic materials. Information processing and computation are performed using electron charge in semiconductor transistors and integrated circuits, and the information is stored by electron spins on magnetic high-density hard disks. Recently, a new branch of physics and nanotechnology, called magneto-electronics, spintronics, or spin electronics, has emerged, which aims to exploit both the charge and the spin of electrons in the same device. A broader goal is to develop new functionality that does not exist separately in a fe ... More

Nowadays, information technology is based on semiconductor and ferromagnetic materials. Information processing and computation are performed using electron charge in semiconductor transistors and integrated circuits, and the information is stored by electron spins on magnetic high-density hard disks. Recently, a new branch of physics and nanotechnology, called magneto-electronics, spintronics, or spin electronics, has emerged, which aims to exploit both the charge and the spin of electrons in the same device. A broader goal is to develop new functionality that does not exist separately in a ferromagnet or a semiconductor. This book presents new directions in the development of spin electronics in both the basic physics and the technology which will become the foundation of future electronics.