Magnon transistor for all-magnon data processing

TLDR

Next‑generation information processing seeks low‑dissipation carriers beyond electrons, with magnons—quasiparticles of spin waves—offering a promising alternative because disturbances in magnetic order propagate as waves. The study aims to develop circuits that allow magnon currents to be controlled by magnons, enabling single‑chip all‑magnon information systems. The authors fabricated a proof‑of‑concept three‑terminal device from an electrically insulating magnetic material to demonstrate magnon‑controlled operation. The device achieves magnon‑by‑magnon control, reducing source‑to‑drain magnon density by three orders of magnitude via gate injection, and demonstrates a transistor operating on a single magnon quantum, highlighting its potential for magnetic‑material‑based processing.

Abstract

An attractive direction in next-generation information processing is the development of systems employing particles or quasiparticles other than electrons—ideally with low dissipation—as information carriers. One such candidate is the magnon: the quasiparticle associated with the eigen-excitations of magnetic materials known as spin waves. The realization of single-chip all-magnon information systems demands the development of circuits in which magnon currents can be manipulated by magnons themselves. Using a magnonic crystal—an artificial magnetic material—to enhance nonlinear magnon–magnon interactions, we have succeeded in the realization of magnon-by-magnon control, and the development of a magnon transistor. We present a proof of concept three-terminal device fabricated from an electrically insulating magnetic material. We demonstrate that the density of magnons flowing from the transistor’s source to its drain can be decreased three orders of magnitude by the injection of magnons into the transistor’s gate. A disturbance in the local magnetic order can propagate across a material just like a wave. Chumak et al.now demonstrate a transistor operating on a single quantum of these so-called spin waves, known as a magnon, which could be a central element for magnetic-material-based information processing.