Atomic-scale graphene-based magnets could spur on much smaller and more powerful computing components

Researchers have developed a technique that could enable the extreme miniaturization of computing components, paving the way for compact and high-performance devices.

The smaller the transistors and logic gates in a processor, the more computing power can be packed into a smaller area. But the physical constraints of silicon mean we are reaching the limits of how small these components can be.

However, a new technique, involving ultrafast switching between spin states in 2D magnets — to represent the switching between the binary states of 1 and 0 — can lead to much denser and more power-efficient components.

This technique is enabled by a new type of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) — a material structure that acts as a data storage device in a computing system. The scientists sandwiched chromium triiodide (a 2D insulating magnet) between layers of graphene and sent an electrical current through it to dictate the magnet's orientation within the individual chromium triiodide layers.

Harnessing these MTJs could mean packing more computing power into a chip than was previously deemed possible — while consuming much less energy during the switching process. The researchers published their findings in a new study published May 1 in the journal Nature Communications.

In the paper, the scientists demonstrated that 2D magnets can be polarized to represent binary states — the 1s and 0s of computing data — paving the way for highly energy-efficient computing.

Harnessing spintronics for faster computing

Precisely controlling the magnetic phase of 2D materials is a crucial step in spintronics (controlling an electron’s spin and the associated magnetic moment). By precisely controlling the current, the new technique can change the spin states in chromium triiodide using the current's polarity and amplitude. This is possible because the compound is ferromagnetic (it is magnetic and can attract magnets in a similar way to iron). This compound is also a semiconductor — a material that has a conductivity that falls between a metal and an insulator.