Putting a new spin on silicon.At the heart of data-reading heads in new computer hard drives are devices whose exquisite ex·qui·site n. Extremely intense, keen, or sharp. Used of pain or tenderness. sensitivity derives from manipulations of a magnetic property of electrons called spin. Such devices, part of an ascendant technology known as spintronics (SN: 7/5/03, p.14), might capture more turf from conventional electronics if spintronics developers could somehow render silicon magnetic, says Vincent P. LaBella of the State University of New York (body) State University of New York - (SUNY) The public university system of New York State, USA, with campuses throughout the state. in Albany. Now, he and his colleagues may have done just that. In the Jan. 15 Physical Review B, LaBella's team reports shooting ions of manganese manganese (măng`gənēs, măn`–) [Lat.,=magnet], metallic chemical element; symbol Mn; at. no. 25; at. wt. 54.938; m.p. about 1,244°C;; b.p. about 1,962°C;; sp. gr. 7.2 to 7. , a magnetic metal, into silicon. As a result, the semiconductor attained a magnetic field about a millionth as strong as the one iron has, LaBella estimates. That may seem minuscule minuscule Lowercase letters in calligraphy, in contrast to majuscule, or uppercase letters. Unlike majuscules, minuscules are not fully contained between two real or hypothetical lines; their stems can go above or below the line. , but "it's strong enough ... to be useful for spintronic devices," LaBella says. What's more, the field persisted at temperatures commonly reached in electronic devices. Some doubts remain about the new material's ultimate usefulness. For instance, tiny clumps clump n. 1. A clustered mass; a lump: clumps of soil. 2. A thick grouping, as of trees or bushes. 3. A heavy dull sound; a thud. v. , possibly of manganese, form in the bombarded silicon, LaBella says. Such structural irregularities often spell bad news in microelectronic devices. |
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