Oxide nanowires for spintronics: materials and devices

• Published in: Nanoscale 2012-03, Vol.4 (5), p.1529-154
• Main Authors: Tian, Yufeng, Bakaul, Saidur Rahman, Wu, Tom
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c2nr11767c

Spintronics, or spin-based data storage and manipulation technology, is emerging as a very active research area because of both new science and potential technological applications. As the characteristic lengths of spin-related phenomena naturally fall into the nanometre regime, researchers start applying the techniques of bottom-up nanomaterial synthesis and assembly to spintronics. It is envisaged that novel physics regarding spin manipulation and domain dynamics can be realized in quantum confined nanowire-based devices. Here we review the recent breakthroughs related to the applications of oxide nanowires in spintronics from the perspectives of both material candidates and device fabrication. Oxide nanowires generally show excellent crystalline quality and tunable physical properties, but more efforts are imperative as we strive to develop novel spintronic nanowires and devices. Nanowire-based spintronics presents new opportunities and challenges in understanding the intimate couplings between charge, spin, orbital and lattice.