Nanowerk July 20, 2018
Researchers in Japan have designed a nanoscale device that converts mechanical ripples into an electrical current via a spin current. They found that the spin current generated in the second layer was large enough to move magnetic domain walls, which could be used in memory devices. It is still below the spin currents needed, but they could be increased by optimizing the devices. The technology could be used in devices that permit sound waves to pass in one direction but block them in the opposite direction… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Surface waves in the substrate cause the magnetization in the bottom nickel layer to precess, which generates a spin current in the second copper layer. Credit: © American Physical Society