For 50 years conventional electronics has ignored the electron spin. The manipulation and utilisation of the electron spin heralds an exciting and rapidly changing era in electronics, combining the disciplines of magnetism and traditional electronics. The first generation of "spintronic" devices (such as read heads based on giant magnetoresistance or non-volatile magnetic random access memories) have already gained dominant positions in the market place. This volume, the first of its kind on spin electronics, describes all the essential topics for new researchers entering the field. It covers magnetism and semiconductor basics, micromagnetism, experimental techniques, material science, device fabrication and new developments in spin-dependent processes. At the end of most chapters are a number of exercises and worked problems to aid the reader in understanding this fascinating new field.

Inhalt

to Spin Electronics.- Basic Concepts.- An Introduction to the Theory of Normal and Ferromagnetic Metals.- Basic Electron Transport.- Phenomenological Theory of Giant Magnetoresistance.- Electronic Structure, Exchange and Magnetism in Oxides.- Transport Properties of Mixed-Valence Manganites.- Spin Dependent Tunneling.- Basic Semiconductor Physics.- Metal-Semiconductor Contacts.- Micromagnetic Spin Structure.- Electronic Noise in Magnetic Materials and Devices.- Materials, Techniques and Devices.- Materials for Spin Electronics.- Thin Film Deposition Techniques (PVD).- Magnetic Imaging.- Observation of Micromagnetic Configurations in Mesoscopic Magnetic Elements.- Micro- and Nanofabrication Techniques.- Spin Transport in Semiconductors.- Circuit Theory for the Electrically Declined.- Spin-Valve and Spin-Tunneling Devices: Read Heads, MRAMs, Field Sensors.