Magnetoelectronic Devices

Since the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR), magnetoresistive devices have progressed rapidly from the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) structures that were the dominant thin film magnetoresistive material into the 1990s. GMR development, followed by work in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ), is now being amplified by the latest work in spin electronic devices (SPINS). The resulting improvements in magnetoresistance have been accompanied by rapid exploitation of these new structures in sensors, read heads, galvanic isolators, and nonvolatile memory (MRAM). The ultimate drivers for research in magnetoelectronics — that devices be “faster, smaller, and cheaper” — ultimately also define the technological challenges.