Spintronic devices for energy-efficient data storage and energy harvesting

TLDR

The data revolution has been driven by advances in magnetism and spin phenomena, such as giant magnetoresistance and spin‑valve read heads, yet growing demands for speed and capacity are driving up energy use, prompting spintronics research to seek lower‑energy, higher‑capacity solutions. This review surveys the current state of spin‑based data storage and spin‑mediated energy harvesting technologies aimed at improving energy efficiency. The authors discuss the advantages and remaining challenges of various spin‑based data‑storage concepts and the spin‑enabled mechanisms for energy conversion. They highlight that while spin‑based approaches offer promising energy savings and performance gains, significant technical hurdles remain to be addressed.

Abstract

Abstract The current data revolution has, in part, been enabled by decades of research into magnetism and spin phenomena. For example, milestones such as the observation of giant magnetoresistance, and the resulting development of the spin-valve read head, continue to motivate device research. However, the ever-growing need for higher data processing speeds and larger data storage capabilities has caused a significant increase in energy consumption and environmental concerns. Ongoing research and development in spintronics should therefore reduce energy consumption while increasing information processing capabilities. Here, we provide an overview of the current status of research and technology developments in data storage and spin-mediated energy harvesting in relation to energy-efficient technologies. We give our perspective on the advantages and outstanding issues for various data-storage concepts, and energy conversion mechanisms enabled by spin.