Ferrimagnets for spintronic devices: From materials to applications

TLDR

Spintronics exploits electron spin for next‑generation devices, and ferrimagnetic materials—whose antiferromagnetically coupled sublattices enable vanishing magnetization, ultrafast dynamics, and conventional read–write access—are emerging as high‑density, high‑speed, low‑power memory and logic platforms. This review surveys ferrimagnetic oxides and alloys, examining their unique magnetic dynamics and effective manipulation techniques. The authors analyze how chemical composition, temperature, and external stimuli control ferrimagnetic dynamics and enable state manipulation. The review highlights emerging ferrimagnet‑based storage and computing devices while noting remaining challenges for future applications.

Abstract

Spintronic devices use spin instead of charge to process information and are widely considered as promising candidates for next-generation electronic devices. In past decades, the main motivation in spintronics has been to discover new mechanisms and novel material systems to improve both device performance and the application prospects of spintronics. Recently, researchers have found that ferrimagnetic materials—in which sublattices are coupled antiferromagnetically—offer an emerging platform for realizing high-density, high-speed, and low-power-consumption memory and logic functions. Within such a ferrimagnetic class, vanishing magnetization and ultrafast magnetic dynamics can be achieved by adjusting chemical composition and temperature, among other parameters. Meanwhile, unlike for antiferromagnets, conventional electrical read–write methods remain suitable for ferrimagnets, which is beneficial for applications. In this review, an abundant class of ferrimagnets including oxides and alloys is surveyed, and unique magnetic dynamics and effective methods for manipulating the magnetic states of ferrimagnets are discussed. Finally, novel storage and computing devices based on ferrimagnets are considered, as there are some challenges to be addressed in future applications of ferrimagnets.